Monochrome
by Sarapercival333
Summary: Amy Cahill hates Ian Kabra. Ian Kabra...loathes Amy Cahill, or maybe not.
1. Chapter 1

Monochrome

Amy Cahill was filing away some papers when she heard the relentless knocking of Ian Kabra's secretary.

_The hell._

She cursed to herself and dejected proceeded to open the door. The scared face of Roger Mullings greeted her.

"What now?" Amy asked. Over the years, Amy Cahill had become a very strong woman; gone was the stuttering and shy fourteen-year old. Maybe it's because of the Madrigal training she had endured as an adolescent or the pressures she had gone through in order to prove her worth to be a Madrigal Branch Leader. But if you ask her, she will gladly answer to you that it all started when she started working with Ian Kabra.

With all of his incessant complaints and mood swings, who wouldn't? He's had more secretaries quit than anyone else in this firm and she'll be the first to back that up.

"He said that he wants to talk about Carmi-"

"Tell him to go shove it up his ass," she said in a cold manner.

Roger nodded and hastily made his way back to the floor where Ian worked.

Amy Cahill was rarely behaved like this. She only does when Ian's persistent complaints about his coworkers arrived at her door did she act like this. Amy Cahill was usually calm and collected.

_That jerk, doesn't he know how to handle his own job? Why did Fiske even think of putting us together in one law firm?_

Amy Cahill and Ian Kabra worked in the same law firm. The firm was basically owned by Madrigals, to simplify it all, they worked for the legal part of the Branch. This was where most Madrigals got their lawyers. But aside from working for Madrigals, they also worked for other people aside from the Madrigals as they were the top law firm in the country. Their firm won more cases than any other firm in the country.

_Calm Amy, calm._

She went to her desk and sat down on her swiveling chair. She then massaged her forehead and took deep breaths as her yoga master had taught her.

_Calm. Calm. Calm._

She repeated the word to herself like a mantra.

As if on cue, Ian Kabra burst in to her office and set himself on one of the chairs facing her.

"You know, I don't care if Carmichael plays hockey or likes to drink wine for breakfast," snapped Amy the moment he turned around to face her.

"I'm not here to talk about Carmichael," Ian said calmly. He went over to the counter at the west side of Amy's office and poured himself a glass of wine.

"Is it a bit too early to get drunk, Ian?"

He made a gesture of looking down at his watch and said, "Oh, I don't think so, it's just about time for lunch."

"Pray tell," Amy said in a mock cheery tone, "how did you pass to be promoted to this high a rank?"

"I have a rather handsome face," said Ian, "you should know that."

"Seriously," she snapped, "why are you here in my office?"

"Do you have plans for tonight?"

"Why thinking of asking me to a date?" Amy spat. "As you well know, I have a husband."

"I'm not blind," Ian said. "And stop thinking that I'm here to seduce you, that little tirade ended when I was departed from Seoul."

Amy stared blankly at him but he knew well to see past her façade.

"Are you still touchy about that particular subject?"

"Not at all," Amy declared professionally.

"Good," he said, "I'm here about Renee."

Amy froze.

"What did my niece do now?" Amy inquired. Last month, it was freeing animals from the local zoo and unleashing it to modern Boston. The results weren't really pretty. She briefly remembered leading a horde of animal control people into a building.

You see, Renee Anne Kabra Cahill was a very playful person, as well as rebellious and intelligent. Of course, how can't she be, having one Daniel Arthur Cahill as her father and one Natalie Elizabeth Kabra as her mother.

She was a very active supporter of animal rights and a very active one at that. Not that Amy protested as she also supported the group but she never really took active action, just stayed behind the curtains and handed in cash whenever she felt like it, which, by the way, is almost every month.

Ian said nothing but handed her an envelope. She unclasped the twine holding it together and looked at a few pictures of Renee in her birthday suit.

"What is this?" Amy asked incredulously. It seemed like a protest about freeing animals. All of them held banners about freedom and rights and whatnot while they were stripped down to their body suit.

"She joined a protest," Ian said grimly. "Natalie called me this morning asking for my help to keep these off the pages of tomorrow's morning paper."

Of course, whenever Renee Cahill decided to display her activist side, a phone call from her parents was sure to follow.

"I'll get Maxis on this today," Amy said. "You know, she can't keep doing this. One day, the media will get tired of just accepting our 'gifts' and will realize that they can't keep shrugging this off because, I know, one day, she will get too much."

"I know," said Ian grimly.

"Please, tell your sister to discipline her," said Amy. "I will inform Dan of the same thing."

"Truth is, I already did last month," said Ian, "I don't know why they have such a soft side for that dandy child, I mean, I put a little discipline with my son and he grew up just fine."

"Yeah unlike you, he's very gentle," Amy teased. It's true; Harley John Kabra was a very kind man, responsible too, unlike his father and cousin.

"Don't push it," Ian warned.

"Okay, by the way," Amy said before Ian exited her office, "why did your assistant kept saying that you wanted to talk about Carmichael?"

"I wanted for you to be the one to come to my office earlier so I wouldn't have to travel the distance between our offices," Ian replied.

"Git," Amy murmured as he exited her office.

-x-

"Dan, what's wrong with putting a little tough side on your daughter?" asked Amy. "You know we can't keep doing this."

"I know, but," Dan trailed off as he looked at the cup of latte he ordered.

"Dan," Amy said in a very gentle tone, prompting him to speak.

"I wouldn't want her to get angrier with her parents," said Dan, "our relationship is strained enough."

"Well, we can't keep doing this," Amy reminded. Yes, Amy was well aware that Dan and Natalie's daughter was estranged and that they are doing everything they can to fix things. But she was also aware that everything has a limit.

"I know," said Dan. "We're trying to fix things."

"By letting her ransack Boston?"

"That's not the point," Dan snapped. He looked at her with the look that said, 'You wouldn't understand, you don't have kids.'

That, in itself, is enough to make her feel bad.

"I'm sorry," Dan apologized a minute later, "I didn't mean it like that."

"This conversation is over," Amy said as she left a couple of dollars on the table to cover for what she ordered.

-x-

Amy went home very late, as usual. Her career always keeps her busy. Ever since she had gotten promoted, her workload had increased since then, so every time she gets home, she isn't the least bit surprised that her husband had already been dozing off.

Usually, she just goes over to the bed and slips herself beside him as she always does and whispers good night to him.

But at times, when she is feeling really stressed out, she will stroke his red hair and hold his hand with practiced grace in order to not rouse him.

Those were one of those times.

"Good night Jake," she whispers and holds his hand while he sleeps.

All the while pondering about what her brother meant.

-x-

"Rough night, sweetheart?" Ian asked cockily.

Amy glared at him and rather snapped, "Why are you here?"

"To greet you good morning," Ian said while he handed her a cup of tea. Amy looked at him dubiously as she took the cup.

"Don't worry, it's not poisoned," Ian said. "By the way, I'm very hurt that you still don't trust me after all the years we worked together."

"Technically, not together, Ian," Amy said while turning on her computer. "You were always the one who asked for my help Ian, so technically, I worked, you whined."

That didn't affect Ian's cheery disposition one bit.

"Surely, I did some work," he chose his wording carefully.

"Some," Amy admitted, "I did most."

"It's still considered working together."

Amy rolled her eyes and started typing up her case report.

"What do you want, Ian?" Amy asked.

"This Carmichael," said Ian, "he's an arrogant twat who thinks he's better than anyone."

"Are you here to just tell me that, Ian?" Amy asked.

"No," Ian declared, "I want him out of his position."

Amy looked up at him. She knew he wouldn't demand to have someone sacked, even if they're too arrogant, if they didn't jeopardize his position. She knew he was setting his sights on becoming Senior Partner.

And maybe Victor Carmichael made the mistake of getting in his way.

"I can't do that Ian," said Amy matter-of-factly, "you know that."

"Really?" Ian asked as he fished around his pocket for a recorder. When he finally got a hold of it, he pressed play and Victor Carmichael's voice filtered through.

"That Ian Kabra," sniped Victor, "he doesn't deserve to be promoted to Senior Partner, ever, and that Amy Cahill…"

She felt blind rage cloud her vision and at this moment, all she wanted to do was slap Victor Carmichael at this moment.

_How dare he say that my promotion was all because of Fiske. I worked my damned ass off like all of them did._

"Now you see?" asked Ian. "If you still think this is passable, I could guarantee you that this wasn't the first time he said that."

Amy clamped her teeth down in anger, refusing to let anyone see her frustration. But sadly, Ian did.

"Look," he started, "if you don't want to help me-"

"I'll help you," she said.

Ian smiled.

"Great then," he said, "lunch at Tabotti's?"

Disclaimer: I don't own the 39 Clues or anything associated with it.


	2. Chapter 2

Monochrome

Amy Cahill and Ian Kabra arrived at a classy-looking restaurant. It was one of the restaurants which were situated n the premiere part of town, the ones with the overpriced entrees and imported beef.

Ian exited the SUV first and headed to her side to open the car door for her. She didn't even notice that it was open until she heard a cough to her side.

"Oh sorry," she quickly apologized and stepped out of the car. She was deep in her thoughts thinking about what Dan really meant the day before. Surely it wasn't what she was thinking he meant.

"Deep in your thoughts, love?" Ian asked cockily.

"Like you would know," Amy retorted.

"Oh, love I would most certainly know."

Amy rolled her eyes and they entered the restaurant. The interior was as expensive-looking as its exterior. It had crystal chandeliers that glittered like gold. Its tables were covered with velvet white cloth; its chairs had a Victoria-era look to it.

"Monsieur Kabra, c'est toujours un plaisir de vous avoir ici," said a middle aged man with graying hair and dull blue eyes, he was wearing a chef's uniform and hat, "and might I know who zis voman is?"

"No Pierre, she's my colleague," he said, "she's not one of the women I bring in."

"Settling for real women, Ian," said a middle-aged woman who had graying hair over blonde and light green eyes. "I see you've taken my advice."

"No Jeanne," Ian replied to the woman, his smirk wavering, "she's my colleague."

"Mmmm," Jeanne hummed disappointedly, "she's pretty though and looks smart, unlike the…vomen, if you call zem zat."

Amy looked at Ian with mirth in her eyes.

"Oh cherie," said Jeanne, "you vouldn't know what kinds of vomen he brings here, such low-class lasses."

Amy just smiled.

Ian rolled his eyes and the guy, who she presumed was Pierre escorted them to a table facing the street opposite where the restaurant was.

There was a moment of awkward silence. Amy was the first one to break the silence.

"Are you sure it's good to give Carmichael the boot," Amy started, not meeting eyes with Ian, "I mean, I've had many people—"

"Are you getting cold feet?" Ian snapped, Amy looked up in surprise. She was usually the one who snapped at him, not the other way around. "I'm sorry for that little outburst, a surge of testosterones decided to take a pause at my brain, if you want more proof that this wasn't the first time he decided to take a swig at your name, I could provide you more."

Amy bit her lip.

"Look, Amy," Ian said calmly, leaning slightly across the table, mussing up the tablecloth slightly, "the majority of the firm hates Carmichael, they're just waiting for someone to make the right moves and give him the boot because everyone's too cowardly to do it themselves."

"And how are you sure about that little claim?"

"Listen," Ian declared sternly, "I don't spend my day around the office but that doesn't mean I don't work as you assume."

"Oh really?" Amy challenged. Of course, who wouldn't think he didn't work. He comes off at work at ten-thirty in the morning most of the time and won't attend any meetings, important or not, scheduled before ten-thirty except if it is for a case.

"This is getting nowhere," Ian murmured. "Do you want in or not?"

Amy thought dejectedly for a moment and said the affirmative.

"Great," Ian said cheerily, "let's order first."

A few moments later, Amy settled for the seafood risotto and Ian with the buttered lobster.

Ian signaled a waiter their way and the man, no more in his twenties, took their orders.

"I know that you're very connected with the upper echelons of the Madrigal society," said Ian, "that, even if you don't know it, you're part of it."

Amy opened her mouth in protest but Ian cut off with a, "Don't bother deny it; it's an open fact anyways."

"And I also happen to know you're very close with Janet, his secretary," Ian said. Amy hardly was surprised. Ian was the eyes of the firm. He knows who you are, where you live, what you eat. Hell, Amy wouldn't even be surprised if he knew what her waistline was.

That's about the work he does in the office aside from seducing the women in there, whining about his colleagues, and handling a few, ahem, major cases. And Amy was as hell sure that she was about the only woman left that he hadn't bedded with.

"So you want me to extract information from his secretary?" Amy asked.

"Presto!" Ian exclaimed. "For a moment there, I forgot how smart you really are, love."

Amy rolled her eyes.

"And I, as I am very oriented with the workers of the firm," said Ian, "will gather as much info from them as I can, or maybe get him a little drunk so he would spill all the obscenities he harbors for his colleagues."

"Why can't you do this yourself, Ian?"

"Love; with you as they know you are a somewhat goody-two shoes person," Ian started, "they wouldn't suspect that I or we were scheming to throw him out."

"I thought you said they hated him," Amy retorted.

"I said the majority of the firm," Ian elaborated.

_Oh._

-x-

Amy massaged her temples and stood up from her comfortable swiveling chair. She had so much paperwork that the papers had piled a tower on her desk. During these days, she wished that she would be more like Ian, who didn't take too many cases. But she just, for some reason, couldn't resist taking cases; it was like an itch to her. Dan said it was a sign that she loved her job.

And she couldn't deny she did.

Ian Kabra or not.

Just then, Ian burst through her office in a practiced grace that she didn't notice him until he was right in front of her.

He coughed for her acknowledgement.

"What now, Ian?" she asks. "I'm tired and I already—"

"Shush," he whispered, as if anyone was there to hear. "I'm not here about Carmichael."

"Then what?" Amy asked, irritated.

He seized her by her arm and dragged her out of her office.

"Hey!" Amy exclaimed, causing a little scene. "I can sue you for kidnapping."

"Don't be touchy," said Ian as he escorted her to the elevator and pressed the floor for the parking lot.

After a few minutes of awkward silence, they arrived at the parking lot and by that time, Ian didn't need to drag Amy, she willingly went to her car.

"Uh, we're using my car," Ian informed.

"No, I'm going home," declared Amy as she unlocked her car, "anything can be discussed tomorrow."

Amy then felt a warm hand on her arm and a 'please.'

"Ian, I'm sorry," Amy said silently, "all I want now is to go home and sleep."

"Please?"

"Okay, fine," Amy said.

"I'll have your car in your garage by morning," Ian said as he led her to his Mercedes-Benz.

"Is this where you spend you billables on?" Amy asked.

"I'm hurt," Ian said in a mock tone of anguish.

Amy rolled her eyes and got in his car. After half an hour of driving, they stopped at a tall apartment complex in the premiere part of the city, obviously where he lives or not.

"Ian, I know that this isn't your house," Amy said. She remembered she and Dan driving into a grand mansion somewhere in the outskirts of Boston.

"Do you think I can drive all the way to the outskirts of Boston and come back in the middle of town without wasting my time, love?" Ian asked with a smirk as Amy rolled her eyes.

"If I know you correctly," Amy said, "you use this apartment to have lurid one-night stands with a cocktail waitress or the ninnies in Human Resources."

"Do you really think that lowly of me?" Ian asked a hint of disappointment in his voice.

"Is it not true?" Amy asked softly.

Ian says nothing.

-x-

They arrive at Ian's penthouse apartment and Amy watches as he unlocks the door to his apartment.

He opens the door wide for her and she enters.

The interior is all black and white. The kitchen counter is colored a shiny black while the wallpapers are all pure white. The only color differing from the apartment is the vase of flowers on the coffee table at the living room.

There was a painting hanging on a nail above the couch in the living room, also in black and white.

"Black and white, huh?" Amy states.

"It's very effective in seduction," said Ian.

"Yes, I am aware as I have studied psychology before I took my masters," Amy said, "it proves your masculinity or if not, justifies it."

Ian smirks.

"Oh don't mistake me," said Amy as she made herself comfortable on his black velvet couch made of bear fur, "I don't think you're a homosexual, I reckon you more on the side of metrosexuality."

Ian genuinely looks aghast by her views of his sexuality.

"Do you really view me as such," Ian asked. "Have you ever considered your husband to be as such, as he is always bordered by the mirror and his hair is always immaculate?"

"I don't think he is as such Ian, as I have been married with him for many years already."

Ian rolls his eyes.

Amy is very much used to this, Ian always finds the time of the day to insult and belittle his husband, in sexuality or whatnot, but never finds the time to come to work on time. That little fact never fails to pique her curiosity.

As to the reason why, she can only guess.

"So why did you bring me here?" Amy asked matter-of-factly. "I reckon it's not to insult my husband only."

"You're right," Ian confirms. "We're here to compare notes."

"This late, are you mad? You said we're not here to discuss notes," Amy stood up at this point. "My husband—"

"Your husband is probably fast asleep at this hour, as is my wife," Ian declared sternly. "I'll give you three pounds if you prove me wrong."

Amy sat back down, blank face and all.

_I'll get back at you, Cobra._

"And about your previous statement, the answer is, I lie," he said with a cocky smirk.

Amy was about to devise a retort at that when he interjected.

"I have learned gotten several testimonies from my colleagues about Victor's unsatisfactory look upon his coworkers," Ian said, "I think this would bode well in the firm's court trial that is due to happen if I file this little request of mine."

The firm usually holds mock court trials if any worker files a complaint of abuse or whatnot over their colleagues, Fiske had designed that in order to give the abuser or abused a chance to prove or disprove the each one's claims.

"And also I have signed individual contracts with them to testify in trial," Ian said. "How about you?"

"His secretary said that aside from bashing his coworkers," said Amy, "he doesn't make a happy drunk, he literally abuses his wife and neglects his children, choosing instead to place the money he gets from his billables on gambling and seven shots of whisky in an upstate bar."

"Does she have proof to back that up?" Ian asked.

"No, but she is working on it," Amy replies, "when do you plan to place the request anyway?"

"Soon," he declared, "as soon as we have all the info we need and sufficient proof."

Amy nodded.

"By the way, are you aware that the firm's gala will be held tomorrow?" Ian asked.

"Oh right," Amy said in a shocked tone.

"Let me guess, it's the same every year," said Ian, "you forget to prepare yourself for it, I reckon you haven't picked an outfit yet?"

"Git," she spat at him.

"True," he said and went into his bedroom and he didn't come out for half an hour.

_How dare he just dismiss me without as much of a warning, he's probably going to just abandon me here? Well, two can play at this game, hussy._

When she was just about to stand up and leave when Ian burst into the living room with a black dress.

"I apologize for my…not informing you that I am still not sending you away," Ian said cockily with a smirk.

Amy looked at him with astonished eyes and sat back down on his couch.

"This Sunday, I have taken the liberty of taking at trip to Gucci and buy you a dress," Ian said, a bit of shyness in his voice, "as a token, of course, for you doing most of my work and rescuing my niece from several scandals."

Amy smiled at that and Ian handed her the dress. It was a black form-fitting gown that showed off your shoulders and extended until your toes.

"If it doesn't fit, I can take it back to Gucci and you can give me your size," Ian said.

"Thank you," Amy gratified as a blush rose to her cheeks.

"Put it on," Ian said.

Amy ventured to the bathroom and changed, eager to see if it fit.

Surprisingly, it did.

-x-

"Exquisite," Ian said breathily, quite happy with his handiwork.

Amy felt heat crawl up her cheeks into her ears.

"I don't really know why that Rosenbloom doesn't bother buying you good dresses," Ian stated.

"Jake lets me choose for myself," Amy defended.

"Okay, okay," Ian put his hands up in defeat. "I'm only saying that with a body like that, you would've gotten farther up in the ladder, with a combination of your beauty and your family."

"I like to fight the game fair and square," Amy said honestly.

Ian said nothing. She then ventured to the bathroom and changed back. She then ventured out and left the gown at the coffee table.

"I'm sorry, I've got to go," Amy said abruptly, standing up to go for the door, "thank you for the dress but I don't really need it, thank you."

"Nonsense," Ian pressed on, handing her the expensive gown. "I won't let you out here unless you take it."

"Ian—"

Ian shushed her and handed her the dress.

"Wear it tomorrow," he said and pushed her out the door.

_Insufferable git._

-x-

When Amy got home, she found her answering machine blinking, signaling a new message. She pressed a few set of buttons and the message started rolling.

It was from Dan's.

"_Hey Amy, I'm sorry for that little outburst yesterday, I didn't mean anything I said, it's just that, I was so—irrational that day, I'm sorry again. Call me back."_

Amy heard a beep that signaled the message over.

"_I'm sorry; Ms. Cahill but it had caused permanent damage to your reproductive organs."_

Amy shook her head and pushed those thoughts as far away as she could.

Anyways, there's a big day coming tomorrow.

Disclaimer: I don't own the 39 Clues or anything associated with it.


	3. Chapter 3

Monochrome

Amy Cahill poured herself a cup of tea and made a piece of toast for breakfast. She was still a bit drowsy from her brief period of sleep.

In truth, she couldn't really sleep because she kept waking up from very vivid memories of her time at that acrid hospital.

She munched on the piece of toast and guzzled her cup of tea. The warmth of the bitter liquid soothed her nerves, making them at ease and eliminating the cloud her mind seemed to be swimming in.

Halfway through her toast, she lost appetite and decided to just drink her tea and she set off for work.

When she got there, noticeably, there were no employees present yet except the security guards. That much was logical because it was still seven-thirty in the morning, no one arrived until eight-thirty, except the guards.

When she had arrived before the doors to her workplace, she pushed the door to her workplace and headed for her swiveling chair. She then started going through her leftover paperwork from yesterday.

All the while pondering why Ian Kabra, of all people, is suddenly so nice to her. He even bought her an expensive dress, for God's sake.

And she thought that they had a strictly work-only relationship. She shook her head and chose instead to focus on her work.

After all the Monassis briefs need to be handed in tomorrow. Just then, the one and only Ian Kabra burst through her office doors, more cheery than usual.

That, in it, shocked her.

"Why are you not late?" she rather scolded.

"What, you were all complaining that I rarely show up on time and now you're scolding me for showing up on time?"

Amy shook her head in disbelief as he sat on one of the chairs opposite her.

"You know," Ian stated while looking at the white walls of her office, "your office is rather dull."

"I like it just the way it is," Amy snapped.

"Okay, okay," Ian held out his hands in acceptance, "all I'm saying is, your workplace could use a little sizzle to it."

Amy rolled her eyes and tried her best to ignore him.

"Anyway, do you remember that the gala will be held tonight?" Ian asked, something that rather spells happiness glittering in his eyes.

"Why are you so excited?" Amy asked, looking straight at the same eyes that mesmerized her when she was still a teenage girl.

"Nothing," he said awkwardly and looked away.

Amy gazed on in mild shock. He was never awkward, he's usually straightforward if not…too straightforward.

"Ian," Amy started. "What is wrong?"

"Nothing," he said again as he exited her office.

_Weird._

Then she suddenly remembered about last night and the dress. He had asked her to wear it. But she still couldn't place why he was getting so excited about that.

She decided to shake it off her head and continue doing her work. As if on cue, she remembered Dan's message last night.

_I don't want to leave the little guy hanging._

She stops typing and dials Dan's number. After two rings, she heard a masculine voice which could only belong to her brother's answer.

"Hello?"

"Dan, it's me, Amy," she greeted.

"Amy," Dan's voice sounded surprised, "it's seven forty-five."

"I couldn't sleep," Amy said.

"Oh," Dan's voice sounded sympathetic, as if he knew the reason as to why she couldn't sleep, which he did. "About the other day, I'm really sorry about that, I didn't mean it like how you understood, well, uh, the point is, I'm sorry."

His voice sounded so sad, so apologetic. She hated hearing or seeing her brother in that kind of state. She needed to appease him somehow.

"How about we have coffee later at ten 'o clock?" Amy asked nicely. Even if she wasn't there, she could see Dan light up at her offer.

"I will," Dan said, "Giovanni's again?"

"Sure," Amy affirmed. She heard a distant click and the line went dead. She heard a knock on her door and saw that it was Carmichael's secretary.

"Janet, hi," Amy greeted. "Do you have it?"

Janet handed her a folder that was filled with photos and reports.

"There it is," Janet said with a smile. "Make good use of it."

She walked out of the office with a skip in her step. Amy stored the folder in one of the drawers in her desk. She then went back to her computer.

-x-

Ian Kabra sipped at his morning coffee, for some reason, he couldn't take a certain woman's face off his mind. It was haunting him.

She was the jewel he couldn't manage to get and he doubted he'll get her now. He was too late. He doesn't regret Korea; it's too late for that. What has been done is done.

But it certainly is emasculating, to feel that a woman has taken sudden control of his mind. No woman he has been with has ever done that for more than five hours.

_I don't believe that woman._

And how could he resist? He and his wife were separated. They weren't divorced yet, that would make a scandal. So he and his wife settled for the next best thing, undocumented separation.

That was also part of the reason why his son chose another post, to be as far away from him as possible.

Because his son was as damned as hell convinced that it was his fault.

Not that he was wrong.

What would any sane woman do if they caught you screaming another woman's name in your bed?

What would any sane woman do if they caught you in your private apartment doing anything aside from work?

But anyways, that was just the deciding point. Their marriage had always been on rocky shores way long before that.

He sipped at his vodka. Even that couldn't loosen the knot that had managed to wound its way through.

And buying Amy Cahill a dress?

He really couldn't understand himself right now.

He heard a knock on his door and looked up to see it was his secretary. Mild fear was present on his face. Of course, who wouldn't fear Ian Kabra?

Amy Cahill, of course.

He shook his head. He needed a clear head for the little scheme he was to pull.

"Roger," Ian started his voice gravelly, "what have you got?"

Roger handed him a recorder and several not so satisfactory reports about Victor Carmichael.

_Well, maybe this'll be enough for a pleasant argument._

-x-

"Good morning, Dan," Amy greeted as she settled on the seat opposite him on their favorite spot in Giovanni's.

"Good morning too," Dan replied. He then handed her the menu and she ordered a triple shot espresso, sprinkled with caramel, her usual.

"How is Renee?" Amy asked.

"Fine," Dan replied casually, "I don't think she'll be doing any shenanigans soon."

"God bless," Amy heaved.

"You know, about the other day—"

"I know, you didn't mean it," Amy interjected. "Don't worry, I forgive you."

"You know, what they did to you," Dan said, "that's inexcusable."

"Come on, Dan," Amy said, "having them incarcerated for the rest of their lives is, I think, punishment enough for what they did to me."

"Amy," Dan said, grasping her warm hand. "If you need any help, I'll always be here."

Amy smiled. The most genuine smile she had in her years.

"I know," she said, intertwining her hand in his.

They pulled away just in time Amy's drink arrived.

"By the way, Nellie's going back here tomorrow," Dan said. Amy knew he missed the dandy au pair. Even she did. And Amy couldn't express the happiness she felt just now upon hearing that particular news.

They conversed about for an hour until Amy finished her drink and announced that she would have to go back to the firm.

"Good luck dealing with the Cobra," Dan said as a goodbye.

"Don't worry Dan," Amy said happily, nudging him playfully on the shoulder, "I was trained for this."

Dan smiled at her and took off.

-x-

When Amy got to her office, she was surprised that Ian was there, patiently waiting. She wasn't sure if it was for her though but he sitting in her office was enough to judge that there was a slightly bigger chance it was for her.

"What do you want, Ian?" Amy asked while she settled in front of her monitor.

"My secretary returned with some news," Ian said, "I've already got sufficient evidence."

"Great," Amy said, "have you filed a request yet?"

"No," Ian replied honestly, "but Mullings is working on it."

"Mmmm."

An awkward silence engulfed the room as they just stood there, her working and him just sitting there. Instead, he took his time to think of what he will do to redecorate her workplace to make it less _dull._

"You know," Ian said, "you could use a Picasso here."

He pointed to a blank space on the wall next to her file cabinet.

"I'll keep that in mind," Amy simply replied.

"How's Rosenbloom?" Ian asked, out of anything to ask.

"Fine," Amy said, at that point she looked up and stared pointedly at him. "Why do you want to know anyways?"

"The holidays are coming up," Ian said matter-of-factly. "Has he arranged a trip for you two yet?"

"Yes, he has," Amy said. "We're going to the Bahamas."

"Hmmm."

Ian then stood up and walked out of her office as Amy stared after him in surprise. His response was not what she was expecting. Usually, at those kinds of conversations, he would usually deliver a snappy retort.

She didn't expect a simple 'hmmm', no, far from it. Amy didn't understand him now.

He used to be so predictable but intelligent. Now, he was both unpredictable and intelligent.

A potent combination.

And whether she liked to admit it to herself or not, this new Ian is scaring her.

-x-

Ian put on his tuxedo and went to Amy's office. He was quite disappointed at what he saw. She wasn't ready for the gala yet.

"Amy, you know the gala starts in an hour," he stated.

She looked up in surprise and said, "Sure, I'll make a detour to my house and pick up the dress after I finish this."

Ian approached her table and switched off the monitor.

"We're making the detour now," Ian demanded sternly, with a smirk on his handsome features.

She rolled her eyes and switched on the monitor.

"You go do it yourself," she said stubbornly and quickly added, "if Jake lets you."

He bit his lip and said, "That's why I'm driving you there now, I know he's not going to let me."

"Come on Ian," Amy pleaded.

"I'm not going to stop bug you if you don't stand up right now and go to your house with me," Ian said and added, "and I will keep bugging you for one week, but if you do go, I will stop bugging you now and you won't see my face around your office."

Amy looked up and narrowed her eyes.

"I can see your damned loophole, Ian," she said. "You will ask your secret—"

"I say to you there is no loophole," Ian said with a hint of disappointment in his tone, "I can't believe—"

"That I think so lowly of you," she finished for him. She stood up, shut down her computer and walked with him to the garage.

"See, it's that easy," he said cockily. She said nothing.

-x-

Amy fit the keys through the keyhole and opened the door. Jake stood there, shocked to see her so early. Apparently, he had invited his brother, Atticus.

"Hello Jake," she greeted, "I didn't know we'd have guests."

"Sorry, I didn't care to inform you," Jake replied shyly, "I thought you wouldn't be home until later and didn't want to disturb you while you worked."

"No, no, it's okay," Amy said as she headed for their bedroom to retrieve her dress.

When she had retrieved her dress and was about to go out the door, Jake asked her, "You're going back to the office?"

"Yes," she answered, "we have a gala tonight."

"Oh," Jake said.

"What is Cobra doing here?" asked Atticus, pointing at the man in front of the Benz outside.

"Yeah, and I don't remember you having a Benz," Jake said.

"Oh, Ian just took the liberty of escorting me here to pick up my dress," she said matter-of-factly as she headed out the door.

It was rude to make people wait.

-x-

"You look stunning," Ian said, smiling at her.

"Paws off," Amy said as a warning. Ian then stood up and clasped a sapphire necklace around her. At first, he felt her muscles stiffen under his touch but it gradually relaxed.

"Thank you, Ian."

He bowed as a playful gesture of gentlemanliness. Amy rolled her eyes at the sight of him bowing.

He then got up and offered her his arm.

"Shall we?" he asked.

"We shall."

-x-

They arrived at the rooftop of the firm. It was truly a beautiful starry night. Men and women chattered about work or something else. The black dresses most women wore contrasted against the night sky while the men's tuxedos seemed to blend in the dark, rendering their bodies somewhat seemingly immaterial.

The party was only lit up a bit, enough for men and women to see where they're walking but not enough for the party to be broadcasted throughout the city.

"Wow, didn't know Fiske had it in him," Amy murmured.

Usually, Fiske Cahill hired someone to arrange the gala, but this year, they don't really know what got to him but he decided to be the one to arrange. Maybe it deals with the fact that it's the tenth anniversary of the firm. No one really knows.

"I must admit, this isn't half bad," Ian said with a smirk. "It really makes your skin glow."

"I rarely dig flattery, Kabra," she bit out.

"It's not flattery when it's the truth."

Amy just clamped her mouth shut as she traversed towards the group of women in the middle of the floor.

"Amy," said a blonde with shining green orbs that rivaled Amy's, "you look quite radiant tonight."

"Thank you Rosaline," she said as a flush crawled up her cheeks.

"Oh and did I just see you enter with Ian Kabra," said a cute brunette with a pixie cut that had dark eyes.

"Uh yes?" Amy said unsurely. She knew that they were completely smitten with one Ian Kabra as they were one of the women Ian Kabra had so cunningly seduced.

She then heard a redhead to her left squeal. She then looked to her left and noticed big blue orbs gaze at her.

"You're perfect for each other," Loretta, the cute brunette said.

Amy rolled her eyes.

"I'm married," she stated, strengthening the thought by flashing up the platinum ring Jake had given her during his proposal.

"Well that sucks," said Marione, the redhead.

Amy glared at her and said, "That's my husband you're describing."

"Well, don't take me wrong, I mean, Jake is handsome but don't you just feel that he's getting a bit distant?"

The question hit Amy hard.

"What do you mean?"

At this point, Loretta was flashing Marione dirty looks and Rosaline was looking at her with eyes full of pity.

"What do you mean?" Amy reiterated a bit irritated now.

"I'm sorry," Marione said, "ignore what I said."

Amy nodded. On cue, Ian arrived with two glasses of martini and a charming smile on his face.

"Hello girls," said Ian, looking as dashing as ever, they giggled coyly and Marione flashed him a flirtatious smile.

Amy grabbed a martini from his hand and took a sip.

Amy thanked him and chewed at the olives.

He then walked away.

_Weird._

"Did you see how he looked at you?" asked Rosaline with a smile.

"Yeah," Amy said, "he looked at me like looks at normal people."

Loretta rolled her eyes.

"Come on Amy," said Marione, "he has an attraction for you."

Amy shook her head and smiled at them.

"When pigs fly," Amy retorted. "Excuse me."

She then receded from the crowd, dizzy from all the voices. She found her favorite little spot amidst the office. It was a little hard to find her spot in the dark. She stumbled and tripped a little but a warm hand clasped around her hips.

"Hey there," a familiar British accent drawled, "getting away from the hullabaloo?"

She looked to where the sound was coming from and noticed the handsome face of one Ian Kabra.

"Whisky?" he asked as he held up the bottle in front of her.

Disclaimer: I don't own the 39 Clues or anything associated with it.


	4. Chapter 4

Monochrome

Amy Cahill snatched the whisky from him and took a gulp. She then handed him back the bottle looked on sullenly.

"Could you please keep quiet?" Amy asked in a soft voice.

"Having a migraine?" Ian asked with a smirk while drinking at his whisky.

"I'm serious," she replied while getting the bottle from her hand. Her head was throbbing and all she needed was a good drink, even if it meant sharing spit with the Cobra.

They continued that same cycle of passing the drink for several minutes until Ian broke the silence.

"Why do you despise me so?" he blurted out, not knowing if it was from his lowered inhibition or simply just the spur of the moment.

Amy looked at him with clouded eyes; he could see from her face that she was getting a bit tipsy. She looked like she was deep in thought and aside from that, he could've sworn he saw a flash of confusion pass her eyes.

"I guess I just don't know."

That caught him off guard. He knew Amy usually was the person to go to if you wanted to have all the right answers. She rarely did give you vague replies, like the one she just passed him. Could it be she thought that he asked this just because to tease her?

"I'm serious," he said gravely.

"I am too."

He recoiled back in shock.

"I'm only human," she stated, "I have flaws too, don't worry."

She then grabbed the bottle from him and drank a mouthful. She really needed to just let loose right now.

Amy couldn't stop thinking about what Marione said. What if she and Jake were really losing touch? I mean, they rarely spoke to each other now. And their work schedules didn't really match so it was more often that she comes home and finds him asleep. And the only source of intimacy between them was her grasping his hand every time she wanted to.

That was all.

She briefly remembered that they had gone through one week in Jamaica without ever thinking of sex. And during weekends, they would just talk about work or sports or anything that is there to talk about, except, they talked about generic stuff, never intimate. She couldn't even remember the last time they kissed.

She handed him back the drink and he laid it beside him.

"Do you have a problem?"

"Why are you being so nice to me?"

Ian laughed.

"Can't I be nice to my coworkers?"

"The hell," Amy almost screamed, "I'm fucking serious, one day you're ready to kill me, the next, you're giving me a damn sapphire necklace."

"God Amy, let it go," Ian said, taking a sip from the whisky bottle, "it's been twenty damned years."

Amy was silent at that.

"Do you want me not to be nice to you?" Ian asked in irritation.

"I-I d-didn't mean that," she stuttered uneasily, her vision slightly blurring at the edges.

"How drunk are you?" he asked incredulously, probably shocked that she still had the stutter.

"M-maybe a little," she slurred.

He grabbed the bottle from her hand and put it away from her.

"Hey!" she exclaimed, her face a bit flushed. She tried to grab at the bottle but it was too far away for her to reach.

"Come on, Ian."

"Amy, you're drunk," said Ian, "let me get you home."

Truthfully, she was, her vision was almost blurry now and her world seemed to be clouded with blue and gold.

She didn't remember going to her bed that night.

-x-

Amy woke up with a throbbing headache. The world looked like it was spinning all around her. Her vision was a bit blurred around the edges and she felt the need to vomit.

She raced to the bathroom and spewed out her insides, it felt comfortable to unload a little.

_Oh my god, how much had I drunk last night?_

Her head was still throbbing when she got down to the kitchen. She made her way to the sink and splashed her face with cold water. It made her feel a teeny weeny bit better.

"Good morning, Amy," he heard a masculine voice say behind her. She looked up to see that it was Jake staring down at her.

She squinted, partly to lessen the glare of the sunlight, partly in surprise. He never woke up this early.

"Good morning Jake," she greeted back. "Who took me home last night?"

She really wanted to clarify as the night before had been so blurry from all the alcohol she had drunk. Amy doesn't really remember getting drunk so easily before. Well, she also doesn't really remember when the last time she had drunk alcohol was.

"Ian," Jake started, his voice had a hint of irritation in it, "Ian Kabra."

"Oh," she said her voice a bit raspy.

"You never get drunk on parties," he said casually. It sounded a little like a reprimand and Amy certainly didn't like it.

"Well, you get drunk with your friends," Amy retorted softly, she couldn't really muster up a louder comeback because of her very painful hangover.

"Ian Kabra is not a 'friend'," Jake replied in an even tone. But that was enough to cause headaches to rack her brain.

"He is to me," she almost whispered. Jake seemed taken aback by her response. To be fair with him, she also was taken aback by her response. When did she start considering Ian as a friend?

Jake just nodded and handed her a steaming hot black coffee, a cheap hangover cure. He then walked away from the kitchen.

-x-

Ian spent his time at her office pacing around, waiting for her to arrive. Half an hour later, he saw her enter, sunglasses on her eyes and a cup of hot water in her hand.

"You're thirty minutes late," said Ian, "very uncanny of you, but all I know is when a person is in a hangover, anything can happen."

"Ian, I don't need you to grace me with your wisdom right now," she said in a tired voice.

"What's wrong?" he persisted. He didn't know why, perhaps he felt somewhat sadistic today. "Rosenbloom and you had a falling-out?"

"Stop it!" she yelled at him. During that time, she had unconsciously sprung out of her seat and turned to face him.

He gazed at her. Even if she didn't know it, tears had started pouring from her eyes. They stared at each other for a few more minutes before he made the move to cross the room and hold her in his arms, comforting her.

At that point, he didn't really care if his $5000 fitted Armani suit got ruined by her tears. All he cared about right now is comforting her.

_Bloody hell._

-x-

"What have you got on Victor Carmichael?" Amy asked.

Ian looked up from her soup. They were dining at his apartment. And if you decide to ask, Ian Kabra doesn't cook, he asked Taglianni's to deliver high-end foods into their apartment.

"I've a pretty good argument prepared already," said Ian, handing her his argument. She skimmed through the argument. It was pretty good, no that was an understatement, it was so good that it could them land them headfirst into the winning side.

"I must admit it is very good," Amy said while taking a sip at her iced tea.

They ate their deserts in silence, never mentioning the little post-hangover breakdown Amy gave a while ago.

Amy looked at her watch and saw that it was already quarter to one. She needs to arrive at the airport by one-thirty to be in time for Nellie's arrival.

"Thank you for the meal," she quickly said to Ian after hastily finishing her meal. "Unfortunately, I have somewhere to go, pray we discuss the untouched subjects tomorrow?"

"Certainly," he said. "Where do you need to go?"

"JFK Airport," she replied in rapid fire English.

"I can drive you."

"No thank you, Ian," she humbly said.

But Ian was never one to be deterred by humbling answers. He stood up and followed her to the garage which made Amy a bit shy.

"Ian, please," she said in a kind tone, "I don't need your help."

"I insist."

Amy rolled her eyes; he was being this kind to her because he needed something from her. But what could he possibly need? She shook her head and cleared her mind of all the thoughts that she didn't want to ponder at the moment.

"

Amy sulked at the passenger seat of Ian Kabra's car, after his incessant requests of driving her to the airport, she finally gave up on resisting, and after all, there was only so much that her patience can take.

"Come on Amy," Ian said, his cocky smirk back on his face. "Cheer up, at least you wouldn't be the one to deal with New York traffic."

That was quite true. The infamous New York traffic at midday is quite unbeatable. You're very lucky if you got out alive.

"When's the trial?"

"Next week Tuesday," Ian replied.

"Ho-hum."

Ian kept his eyes on the road. Pondering about what Nellie or Dan would say upon seeing him. Probably question Amy why it was he who went to the airport with her and not her husband. Of course, that's her problem but any legal gentleman wouldn't let the woman have all the blame. After all, he was the one who coerced her into letting him drive her to the airport.

The traffic finally let loose and they got to the airport in about half an hour. Just in time for Nellie's arrival.

"Nellie!" Amy exclaimed, scooping her former au pair into a bear hug.

"I think you're forgetting someone," said a masculine voice behind her. They turned around to meet a couple of jade green eyes much similar to hers.

"Dan, of course we wouldn't forget you," Amy said, snickering, "we were just having our moment."

Dan rolled his eyes and gave Nellie a brief hug.

"You call that a hug?" Nellie asked incredulously. "Come here kiddo!"

She encased Dan in a bone-crushing hug. Dan slowly returned the unmanly hug. When they finally pulled away from each other, Nellie's eyes turned and Natalie's eyes, Natalie smiled at Nellie and Nellie returned the gesture.

"Hello Natalie," Nellie greeted rather politely, "has Dan been…less good?"

"Oh, I've made sure he behaves very well," Natalie said in a venomous voice. She and Nellie then burst into laughter.

"I wouldn't know what I would've done had you not been his wife," Nellie managed to choke out in between giggles.

"That was much appreciated," Natalie said. Nellie's eyes flitted over to where Ian Kabra was standing.

"Hello Ian," Nellie greeted.

"Oh I went here with Amy," he blurted out.

Nellie narrowed her eyes at him.

"Where's Jake?" she inquired.

"At Amy's house?"

"Amy!" Nellie called out. Amy came rushing beside Nellie.

"Yes?"

"Why is Ian here?" Nellie asked.

"He volunteered to bring me here."

"Last time I knew," Nellie said, seemingly suspicious, "you had a car and you knew how to drive."

"Well, I'm dealing with post-hangover," Amy said. Truth is, she had dealt with it a few hours ago.

"Oh," Nellie conceded eyes still mirroring suspicion.

Natalie approached Ian with a smile on her face.

"How are you?" she asked with a smile on her face. He looked strangely at his sister, she had never looked this happy. Maybe Dan really was the right person for her. He was quite shocked at that as it was hate at first sight for them.

"I'm fine, you?" Ian asked with a smile. His sister looked happy. And he liked that. Truthfully, with him, his sister wasn't this enthusiastic. But truthfully, he also had never seen her with Daniel Arthur Cahill.

At least one of their marriages is intact.

-x-

"You know, there is a restaurant not far from here that serves world-class sustenance," Natalie said. She could clearly see that Ian was currently being drilled by Nellie.

Honestly, she doesn't know why she is currently feeling kind enough to do so. Yes, she loved her brother, but as far as she knew, she just didn't do favors for him unless he asked.

Well, maybe she could make an exception for now.

They looked at her and all put on smiles. Ian even mouthed a barely noticeable 'thank you' to her.

They got in their separate cars and drove to the restaurant.

-x-

"Wow Natalie," said Dan, "why haven't you told me about this place before?"

Natalie looked at him and smiled, "You never asked."

Dan rolled his eyes and kissed her on the cheek.

"Ewww."

They all looked at Nellie who had scrunched up her face in disgust.

"Come on Nellie," Amy said jokingly, "you'll live to tell another day."

Meanwhile, Ian rolled his eyes. For an adult, she was extremely childish. He can't really figure out how she got them through the clue hunt.

He looked at Amy and saw a brief hint of sadness flash through her eyes.

It gave life to his long-harbored suspicions. He knew the Vespers kidnapped her after releasing the hostages and had held her as ransom. He also knew that she couldn't bear a child because of the poison they had given her during her captivity.

And she didn't find out that she had been poisoned until later. She took a leave of absence from the firm for one month when she had received the news. His sources said that they had tried all the cures they could possibly find but nothing worked. She was a lost cause.

He also remembered at that time that she had not talked to anyone for a couple of months since that fateful collection of days.

But he also knew that her husband was cheating on her for another woman. Their marriage was on rocky shores and it only takes a little push for it to come crashing down.

He clenched his jaw to stop himself from thinking of unwanted thoughts. It is most certainly not polite to think of ruining someone's marriage that way.

It wasn't his fault that he liked to know everyone in the Cahill family.

It also wasn't his fault that he had dossiers on every one of them.

Right?

Disclaimer: I don't own the 39 Clues or anything associated with it.


	5. Chapter 5

Monochrome

Amy Cahill stared at her brother. He was currently going on sweet with his wife. Something she and Jake hadn't done for such a long time.

"_I'm sorry Ms. Cahill," said the doctor. She was quivering, her eyes that of pure fear for what the doctor might say. Her husband clutched her in his arms; a gesture on normal days would've comforted her. "You can't bear any offspring."_

She was snapped back to the present when Ian choked on his wine.

"Ian you okay?" she suddenly asked. She instinctively put her hand on his firm back, a worried look stamped all over her face. When his coughing fit stopped, he managed to conjure up a wary smile at her, a hint of a warning in it.

When she looked at the people on the table, they were all staring at her. Dan even stopped eating just to look at her. Natalie had an unsurprised look on her face and Nellie's eyes were slightly narrowed.

"Hey," she said weakly. That snapped them back to the present and they started focusing on their foods. An awkward kind of silence engulfed the group, making the air around them uncomfortable.

Ian's back tingled where she'd laid her hand on it, setting his body on fire; a feat no one else had ever accomplished.

And all of a sudden, heat started to crawl up his cheeks. He wasn't really sure if it was because of embarrassment or something else less innocent. After all, he only got this feeling if someone was crawling all over his body.

Suddenly, the room felt as if it was set afire.

_Damn it._

-x-

Nellie looked observed Ian and Amy closely. Something seemed to be going on with them.

And she was as damned as hell sure that Dan noticed it too.

_Are they… No, that can't be possible, Amy isn't that irresponsible._

Nellie looked away and focused instead on her fillet mignon that had became increasingly interesting. Anything to distract her train of thought, she was very worried about Amy and her 'relations' with the cobra. It really wasn't safe for her. After all, she had broken once; she had never been the same ever since.

She really didn't want a repeat of that. And Ian really was poisonous; hence the 'Cobra' title. All she knew that he had broken his wife's heart once and had driven away his son. What more could he do to Amy? He had done it to her once, twenty years ago in Korea.

She'll just have to keep a close eye on her or _him._

-x-

Natalie, Nellie, Dan, and Amy bade each other their individual goodbye after they had finished their individual lunches. She and Dan then headed to their car. They walked in silence, Dan contemplating what had just happened between his sister and the snake and Natalie with a knowing look on her face.

_Wait for it…_

"Had you noticed what had transpired between your brother and my sister?" Dan asked reluctantly.

"Of course I did," Natalie said casually. "I'm a very good observer, you know."

Dan rolled his eyes, same cocky Natalie.

"Well, do you think they're having," Dan cleared his throat before continuing, "less innocent relations?"

Natalie stopped at that.

"Dan, I don't think he's that sloppy," Natalie stated. It's true, when Ian Kabra conducts his affairs; he usually covers up his tracks. "He only got caught because his wife decided to visit him in the city and caught him in bed with a blonde prostitute."

"You've got a point," said Dan, "but that doesn't mean it can level up to something more."

Natalie raised an eyebrow at that.

"Dan, they're adults," Natalie said, "and we're not their parents, we're their younger siblings, if they come to us for advice, we'll give them advice but we can't dictate their life."

Dan blew a sigh.

"You're right."

"But let's keep a close eye on them."

They got into Dan's car.

"By the way," he added, "how's the art business doing?"

"Great," Natalie said in a bright voice. If there was one thing his wife liked doing, it was managing the art business. "Sales are at an all-time high this year, apparently; more and more people are getting 'cultured'."

Dan smiled. He liked to see his wife happy as she liked to see him happy. That was how their marriage worked. He must admit it wasn't really perfect but at least he was content.

"Do you think Amy caught Jake cheating on her?" Dan asked inquisitively.

He and Natalie knew from Ian, Amy's marriage wasn't really that happy. Amy had buried herself in piles of work as a distraction to keep her from overanalyzing her inability to reproduce. Along the way, Jake began to feel neglected and sought comfort elsewhere when his wife wouldn't really give it to him.**  
**

It was sad though. They could've had a very happy life.

There wasn't one passing day Dan hadn't thought of spilling the whole truth to Amy. She at least deserved to know.

But Natalie kept convincing him not to. Always using the 'It's their life' line.

He knows that Natalie meant no harm and she had a very strong point there and so he kept his mouth sealed.

After half an hour, they arrived at their loft. Natalie and Dan briskly made their way to the entrance where a maid was waiting.

"Good afternoon, Mrs. And Mr. Cahill," greeted the maid politely.

"Is Renee here?" Dan asked.

"No, she left a few minutes ago."

Dan and Natalie nodded. As long as she didn't set fire to modern Boston, it was all good.

-x-

Amy sat on her comfortable swiveling chair. She had to clear her mind. There were mixed thoughts warring inside her. She wanted it to end. She had never felt this way since the revelation of her inability to produce offspring.

_Why do I suddenly care about him?_

The ride to the firm was awkward and uncomfortable. It was as if a weight had been put down between them.

_I need a shot of booze._

Amy went to the counter and poured herself half a glass of scotch, just enough to relieve her nerves.

Her life seemed as if it was taking a new phase and that this was the first time she had experienced it. She shook her head and gulped down the contents of the rock glass when she heard someone's footsteps in her office. She turned around just in time to see Ian settle one of the seats facing her table.

"Hello Ian," she addressed calmly. She took another sip of her scotch and laid it on the counter.

"Hello Amy," he said equally as calm.

"What can I do for you?"

"Wow, no 'what do you want'?"

Amy rolled her eyes and grinned.

"Seriously."

"I'm here to discuss about Carmichael."

"What did he do now?" Amy asked while she booted up her desktop.

"Well, no, he didn't do anything," Ian prompted. "I'm just here to compare notes."

"Oh yes," Amy said, "my secretary had already submitted her notes and the files are now in my file cabinet."

"Good, good," Ian murmured.

"What are you really in here for?"

"Straight to the point," Ian stated with an almost-happy façade, "no wonder I find myself attracted to you."

Amy rolled her eyes and smiled.

"Ian, I've no time for your jokes."

"Oh love, you sure it's a joke?"

That got Amy.

"Don't worry I won't bite," Ian said.

Amy rolled her eyes and sat down on her chair.

"Oh, before I forget," Ian said enthusiastically. He then escorted two men inside carrying a large painting.

"Ian," Amy stated, albeit a bit unsurely, "what is all this?"

"Your Picasso," Ian stated, pouring himself a glass of scotch. He then took a sip and lead the men to the specific part of the wall where they would lay the painting.

The men, after placing the painting exited her office.

"Consider it as your gift."

Amy then looked at the painting.

"Ian, thank you but—"

Ian abruptly shushed her and walked her to the painting.

"It's a gift," he reminded her.

And for the first time in many years, Amy Cahill smiled a genuine smile.

-x-

Jake Rosenbloom sat bolt upright on the bed when he heard the bedroom door open. He saw a smiling Amy enter, a rather cheery disposition about her.

"Amy," Jake said hoarsely.

"Oh Jake," she sounded surprised; "I didn't know you were awake."

She carefully laid down her bag. She then went into the bathroom and changed into her nighttime attire and crawled into the bed with him.

"I heard Nellie's back," Jake said.

"Yeah, he is," Amy said.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I was planning to," Amy said matter-of-factly.

"And I also heard Ian took you to the airport," Jake said, a hint of anger laced in his tone.

"Yes, he did."

"Amy, I could've taken you to the airport," Jake stated.

"Let it go," Amy said as she tried to ignore him.

"Please don't snub me."

"It's eleven forty-five in the evening."

"Please, can we talk?"

Amy dejectedly sat upright on the bed and faced him.

"What is there to talk about?"

"Amy, is there something going on with you two?"

Amy let out a hoot of laughter.

"Who said that?"

"Nellie called me earlier and informed me about the day's events."

"Stop sugarcoating it, Jake," Amy said. "I know that Nellie asked you to keep an eye on me, isn't that right?"

Jake looked away.

"Oh Jake, don't be paranoid."

"I've certainly noticed you've been spending a lot more time with him," Jake said, a hint of disappointment laced at the edges of his voice.

Amy blew a sigh.

"Please, Jake, we're not together," Amy said. "If that's what you were thinking."

"Okay."

Jake then went back to sleep. But Amy didn't. She kept pondering what the nature of their relationship really is and his comment earlier about being attracted to her only spiked her inhibitions.

She did not sleep that night.

Disclaimer: I don't own the 39 Clues or anything associated with it.

Oh and shout-out to Lapulta J.R.R. Cahill. Thanks for that little reference you gave me and for this awesome beta-read chapter. I owe you one. And of course, to the loyal readers, sorry that I didn't really get to this as soon as I can, some problems rose up and I didn't really get back to writing for a long time. I promise I'll make it all up to you (the readers).


	6. Chapter 6

Monochrome

Jake Rosenbloom parked on a curb in front of a classic-looking ten-storey apartment building. The apartment's façade had tall bay windows built into the red brick that housed the structure of the entire building. A fire escape snaked around and about the windows and ended with a halt near the entrance of the building, a ladder folded neatly below the staircase itself.

Jake climbed the steps to the entrance of the apartment. Beside the door was a set of buttons with names of the resident written neatly beside the aforementioned buttons. Jake put his finger on the button beside the label P. Covent.

He heard a blaring noise from the speaker beside the buttons that authorized him to enter. He pushed open the worn-out oak door and entered a dimly lit hallway. He walked until the end of the hallway and an elevator awaited him.

He opened the door leading to the lift and entered.

_Am I doing the right thing?_

Jake didn't know how long he just stood there, his conscience eating him out, pondering if he really should continue this. A loud ping alerted him that he had already arrived at his destination. He then exited the lift and emerged on a hallway much similar to the one he had been on.

He continued walking, not fully aware of where he was heading. His instincts told him to stop and he did. He then looked to his right and his destination awaited him.

He fisted his hands to balls and closed his eyes, wanting to clear his mind of the nagging thoughts that had been plaguing him since all of this started. He doesn't really know when his marriage had come to this.

He mustered his resolve and rapped his knuckles twice against the worn out door in front of him with label '621'. A tall, attractive brunette opened the door and smiled when she saw that it was him.

Her eyes followed him mischievously as she watched him enter her apartment.

"Back for more, I see?" Penelope Covent said. She had a classic beauty about her that attracted men so much. Chestnut brown hair, shining blue eyes, high cheekbones, sharp, proportioned nose, and pink lips. Who wouldn't want to sleep with her?

But every time Jake looked at her, he couldn't feel anything but regret, so much so that he even wonders why he came back to her every other day. Maybe it's because she made him feel what Amy, intentionally or not, denied him.

And he's pretty sure it's not just about the sex.

Automatically, she undressed in front of him and revealed what she had to offer him and it always managed to satisfy him.

"Come here," he whispered hoarsely and she obeyed. She was smirking the whole time they did their ministrations.

"I knew you'd come back to me."

-x-

Amy Cahill barged into Ian's office and placed a sapphire necklace on his desk.

"Thank you Ian," she said, "and my apologies for forgetting to return that."

Ian looked up from his monitor and looked her in the eye.

"That's yours."

Amy's lips thinned in surprise.

"Don't you want it back?"

"Love, I can afford much more than that," Ian drawled smoothly.

_Selfish, insufferable son of a bitch._

"Undoubtedly true," he said. That made her realize what she had just uttered.

"So sorry," she apologized with a tint of dark red covering her cheeks.

Ian smiled.

"You should do that more often," he drawled smoothly, "makes you look more…down-to-earth."

Amy nodded and proceeded to go out when he rose up and reminded her of the necklace. Amy carefully thanked him one more time and closed the door before he could press on.

-x-

Jake carefully dressed as Penelope watched him intently with her mesmerizing blue eyes.

"Why don't you stay for a little while longer?" she purred seductively.

"Can't," he said smoothly, mind set on not prolonging his agony further.

Penelope's face fell.

"Do you love her?"

"Who?"

"Your wife."

Jake stopped his activities. He stared intently at the wall as if there was something very interesting. He can almost register the little smirk plastered on Penelope's doll-like face as he struggled for an answer.

"Do you love me?" Penelope asked instead, her voice was laced with a hint of hopefulness.

"No," Jake answered automatically. He didn't classify Penelope as a 'good-time girl' but he certainly didn't classify her as his lover either. He knew his feeling for her weren't really 'innocent' but it was also not that sinful, even though their actions prove otherwise.

Penelope's face fell and she stood up from the bed, not bothering to cover up her scantily clad form.

"Jake," she whispered as she wrapped her arms around him. She kissed his neck and began to nuzzle it. "Why not?"

"Because this isn't right," he blurted out.

"Then why do you continue coming here every other day?"

"I-I don't really know."

He pulled out of her grasp and grabbed his belongings, not wanting to spend another time in front of Penelope.

-x-

"The mock trial is scheduled next week," Ian said matter-of-factly.

"But that's during vacation week," Amy stated, dropping her fork.

"I have noticed," he replied. "I can handle our trial."

"No, no, that would be rude."

Ian rolled his eyes.

"Rosenbloom will pee his pants in anger if you don't come with him."

Amy rolled her eyes.

"I hardly think he does that."

Ian snorted.

"Point is, you should enjoy your vacation," Ian drawled, "it certainly isn't healthy for one to just work."

Amy sighed.

"I think not."

"Why?"

"Work has been my escape for the past couple years," Amy stated matter-of-factly, "but that isn't really an excuse because for the past couple years, I took them but, something big is happening and I don't wanna' miss out."

Ian smiled.

"That will do."

She smiled and pecked him on the cheek.

"I knew you'd understand."

Ian bowed regally.

"Anything for you, my lady."

-x-

"Nellie," Amy greeted with a smile as she sat from the chair across her former au pair.

"Hey Amy," Nellie said while gobbling up her steak. Amy couldn't help but laugh. It's good to see that some things had never changed.

Nellie handed her the menu and called out the waiter for their table.

"Amy, what would you like?"

Amy skimmed through the menu for a while before ending up with the seafood pasta.

The waiter took her order and walked away.

"So how's your life going?"

"As usual."

Nellie nodded and cut out another piece of the cooked meat and brought it to her mouth.

"How's your marriage?"

"As usual."

"How's Jake?"

"Fine."

"I have something to tell you," Nellie started uneasily, "Ian…"

"What about him?"

"Nothing."

Nellie's voice was strangely off-pitch.

"Nellie, is this about my marriage?"

Amy didn't know why that came to her mind. Maybe it's because she noticed that things between she and Jake weren't that…good anymore. But all marriages have that point in time, right?

And why would she connect Ian with her marriage? Maybe it's because…

She shook off the thought and looked at Nellie instead. She uneasily chomped down her food and refused to make eye contact with her.

It was like that for the rest of the meal.

-x-

"Ian?"

"Exactly where are you heading off to?" Amy asked.

He sighed and said, "I have a briefing in ten minutes."

He headed for the door, his pace a bit too fast for a normal walk. Amy blocked his path to the door and looked at him.

"Do you know something I don't?"

"No."

"Liar."

He cocked a brow at that.

"Not really."

He made a move for the knob but she quickly blocked it, a look of defiance written on her eyes.

"Answer me truthfully."

Ian leaned in, his face a mere inches away from her.

"I don't know anything."

Amy's eyes narrowed and she backed away, knowing that she won't get any more answers from him now.

"I'll get answers from you someday Ian."

"Of course you will."

His voice sounded almost sarcastic and it unnerved her, just having a hunch that he knew something that she doesn't.

Disclaimer: I don't own the 39 Clues or anything associated with it.


	7. Chapter 7

Monochrome

Ian walked toward the conference room. He didn't like how he'd dismissed Amy like that, but he just couldn't do the alternative to her. He was damned-as-hell sure that if he'd performed it, she'd have hated him more than she hated her husband.

After all, it wasn't right that he poked into someone's business.

He pushed open the door to the conference room and proceeded to greet everyone there from clients to partners involved in the case.

Roger handed him his laptop and he proceeded to the presentation.

After all, work first.

-x-

Amy stared at the space where Ian was standing on just a moment ago.

She felt confused, alone, and a bit helpless. She hadn't felt like this for several years now since the Clue Hunt, and it was becoming a bit foreign. Amy paced around the office for a bit and gathered her thoughts.

They had all implied the same thing: that her husband was somewhat unfaithful to her. To have said that she hadn't noticed the signs before would be a complete and utter lie during the times when she, surprisingly, was at home and had nothing to do.

But those were very rare moments and she always thought that she had just come home a bit too early for him to be off work. She couldn't believe their words because she somehow thought that he wouldn't have the guts to have done that to her.

Or did he?

He had shown many signs of bravery, confidence, and intelligence over the years. And she had confidence in him that they loved each other. She knew that, was sure of it, and she betted her life on the line that he wouldn't hurt her, even if she had, albeit unknowingly, done so already.

But the truth is, she just didn't want to believe it.

-x-

Jake sat himself on the kitchen counter and poured himself a glass of cold water. He shook the transparent liquid for a bit before taking a sip to calm down his nerves. Just then, the phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Jake," he heard Amy's voice, "can we talk to each other later?"

"Sure, what's it about?"

"We have to discuss something…personal," said Amy, she took a deep breath and continued, "I can't just express it over the…phone."

"Of course."

"Thank you."

Jake put down the handset and swallowed.

_Does she know?_

_Does she want to separate with me?_

Jake ground his teeth together; he loved Amy and wouldn't really want to see her face if that was the subject she was to talk to him about.

He called his brother, Atticus.

"Hey bro," he started nervously, "um, can you give me some advice?"

"Is this about your marriage?" Atticus said bluntly.

Atticus always had that ability to guess what his brother was about to say. Jake guessed that maybe Atticus just knew him all too well.

"Jake, you need to stop what you're doing," Atticus said, "the first few times were fine but the next were quite…inappropriate."

"Atticus, I don't know what to do," Jake pleaded, "Penelope is like a drug to me."

_Volatile indifference._

_Volatile loathing._

_Volatile lust._

"Dude, if you're really that addicted to her then go marry her," his brother said, "at least make a choice or someone will get hurt."

Jake said nothing.

"Make a choice," he said through gritted teeth, "that is my advice."

Jake heard a click.

_Make a choice._

-x-

Natalie opened the door to Ian's office. She looked around and found him pouring himself a cup of water.

"Natalie, what brings you here?"

"To talk to you, dear brother."

"Why?"

"You do know she's married, don't you?"

"Yeah," Ian replied uneasily. "Why?"

"Try to hide your emotions for the Cahill orphan while you're in the reunion with your wife."

He looked up in shock.

"Your wife will come to the Cahill reunion this weekend, won't she?"

"There's a reunion this weekend?"

"Yep, Fiske just texted me," she replied, "didn't he also inform you?"

"No, he didn't."

"Well that's too bad," she crooned, "I think you'll get your invitation somewhere in mail later."

"Um…I have vacation plans."

"I thought your vacation days will start tomorrow?"

"Yeah, but I decided to off it on Saturday."

"Well, that's too bad," Natalie said, "cancel your plans."

"And why would I do that?"

"Because Amy will be there?"

Ian was speechless.

"Tell me, honestly please," she said, her eyes glinting with interest. She perched herself atop Ian's table and looked at him hard in the eyes. "You were the first one to know that her marriage was in shambles, and now, you're gonna' throw away your vacation plans just for her?"

"I never said that," he sputtered.

She smirked.

"Come on, Ian, you know me better than that," Natalie said, "and I know any girl you want, married or not, you always covet them."

He looked away.

"You don't even care if the women you pick up at the bars are married," she barred, "so what's the big deal about coveting one more woman on a pile of others, hmm?"

He said nothing still, but now he refused to meet his sister's eyes.

"What's the big secret?" she said. "Did you strike a deal with Rosenbloom, did you lure him into sleeping with another woman?"

He gritted his teeth at that and fisted his palms.

"So you did," she stated flatly and got off her perch from his table. She was always so good at reading people.

Before she went out the door, she mandated, "I'll be expecting you at the reunion."

-x-

Amy entered her home. She could barely have drowned out the wind of uneasiness that had settled on every inch of her home.

She saw Jake's figure on the couch. His hand was clutching the remote and his eyes were fixated on the television screen but she could clearly have seen that his eyes were just glazed over, that he wasn't really watching anything.

"Jake," she coughed.

No response.

"Jake," she repeated, a bit louder.

He turned around, his eyes glassy.

"Hello**,** Amy."

"Can we talk?"

"Sure," he moved over and provided her a spot on their couch.

"I know that our marriage isn't what it used to be," she bit out, she refused to have met his eyes.

"Amy, it's—"

"It is," she cut off.

Jake withdrew into the cushions and let her speak.

"So in order to patch it up," she croaked. "We can dedicate at least an hour to ourselves each day, starting now."

Jake nodded a half-smile on his face.

Amy leaned in and kissed him tenderly. She fingered his buttons like she did for the first time, slowly, uneasily. It had been so long since their last advance and she'd really forgotten how to handle it.

As signal, Jake responded, equally as unsure.

The sex was slow and full of clumsiness but Amy was practically confident that they would get to adjust to each other again over time.

It was a leap forward.

-x-

Her alarm blared to life. She looked at the time.

9:00.

She groaned and pushed herself out of bed. She staggered to the bathroom and squeezed the toothpaste out of the tube. She then, after she brushed her teeth, went into the shower and cleaned herself and proceeded with her morning routines.

After she was fully dressed and was proper enough for her standards, she grabbed her work bag and went down the stairs to the kitchen. Last night was clumsy but it was, to put it into words, amazing.

She smiled as she thought of it and went into the kitchen. The smell of freshly-cooked eggs, bacon, and toast engulfed her senses, along with the smell of freshly-brewed coffee.

"Well, that smells yummy."

She looked around and found Jake clutching the frying pan.

"Bon appetit, milady," he said in a posh British accent quite similar to Ian's.

"Close," she joked, "but you missed it by a pitch."

He laughed. "I always do."

She sat on a chair on the left side of the table as Jake served her eggs and bacon. She got a toast from a plate and smothered with honey.

He poured her coffee and smiled at her.

"Good morning," he said and leaned in and kissed her.

"Good morning," she said as she returned the kiss.

He sat down on the chair opposite her and began to chew on his bacon.

"So what's all this?" she gestured around the kitchen.

"For you to get ready for you 'trial' today."

She smiled.

"Thank you."

"Hope you win," he said as he cut himself a portion of his egg.

Her smile widened and she ate her bacon. She was about to take a sip of her coffee when her phone vibrated with a new message.

It said that Ian Kabra had sent her a message.

She unlocked her phone and looked at the text.

'Won't be able to come today to trial, had been attacked by flu. You already have the notes and arguments, you would do well.'

She stopped chewing on her bacon immediately.

"What's up?" he asked.

"A problem came up," she replied, draining her coffee half of its contents. She ate her toast quickly and finished her egg in a rapid pace.

She then promptly stood up.

"You still haven't finished your bacon," Jake said, his mouth full of bacon and bread.

She chuckled.

"Sorry Jake," she said. She went around the table and kissed him on the cheek. "Thanks for the breakfast."

She hadn't heard his 'no problem' as she had already gone out of the house by that time.

-x-

She arrived at Ian's door at 9:30. She didn't bother to knock as she had his keys. She had obtained it at one of their prep meetings for the mock trial. He felt that she should have his keys so she wouldn't knock all the time.

He slowly came to his feet and settled on her shoulders. She carried him over to the bathtub and began to strip him of any particle of clothing.

_Hhhh…this shouldn't be too hard, if I just don't think about it later this day. And anyways, what's the big difference of bathing him to bathing Dan or Jake when they were sick. I'm not that unfamiliar with the male anatomy anyway._

Yeah right.

She felt a bit guilty. Having sex with your partner last night and bathing your coworker naked the next morning is quite an experience to be guilty of.

_The hell._

"Like what you see?" Ian asked cockily. He was pretty muscular, had a fit body, probably had gotten it from years of exercise but she still remained unfazed, surprisingly.

_Thank the gods._

"Not the least," she said matter-of-factly. "Wipe that silly smirk off your face, you need to get better."

She bathed him carefully as she knew that his body was more sensitive now than ever. She then had let him submerge himself in the water for a few minutes before coaxing him to get up and get dressed in his suit.

At least now, he looked half-decent, albeit not as immaculate as he was every day but close enough.

"Are you going to brush your teeth or do I have to do it for you?" she asked, a ghost of grin on her face.

He went back to his bathroom and cleaned his mouth. He went out several minutes later, his mouth looked fresh.

He led him out of his bedroom and set him on a chair. She then went through his ref. Several glasses of scotch, whisky, and champagne, three jars of olives, half a bottle of honey, one carton of milk past its expiree, and an orange juice. There was also a half-batch of eggs and take-out from a few days ago that looked like it'd expired.

"Ian, don't you ever go to the groceries?"

"No Tabotti's cook for me," he said.

"Breakfast, lunch, dinner?"

"Yes?"

She rolled her eyes, of course.

She set out his frying pans and cooking utensils and cooked an egg. She poured him a glass of orange juice and afterwards, served him the results of what she had fried.

"Eat," she commanded. He obediently chewed on his sunny-side up and drank his orange juice.

After he had finished eating, she wiped his mouth for him, didn't really notice the fuchsia color that had painted his cheeks. She then went into his bedroom and collected his briefcase and other legal papers that lay scattered about on his desk. She got his laptop bag and went out.

She set both bags on his couch and said, "I'll be back with chicken soup, meanwhile, go to your bedroom and rest on your bed."

"Amy—"

He heard the door slam and smiled to himself.

_Cranky woman._

Disclaimer: I don't own the 39 Clues or anything associated with it.


	8. Chapter 8

Monochrome

Amy came back holding a plastic with a pot of chicken soup when she saw several packages of take-out laid out on his kitchen table.

"Didn't I tell you to just lie down on bed?" she asked incredulously.

"What, I'm hormone-imbalanced," he said cockily.

"I think that excused expired the moment you turned twenty."

"I'm a Kabra," he replied, "I'm exclusive."

She set the pot on the kitchen table beside some plastic bags on the corner of it.

"Anyways," Ian turned around, "how did you get my keys?"

"Let's see," Amy reminisced, "I think I got it when you went out for an early vacation and forgot your keys at your car and then, I think, you gave me these keys so in case that happens again, you won't have to go back down to the parking lot."

"Okay, why didn't I just give it to Roger?" Ian then remembered. "Oh right, I fired him."

Amy chuckled while she felt pity for the timid man.

"Why'd you fire him?"

"Guy couldn't even file my files in order," he said glumly. "He lost some of my spreadsheets and I needed to go out to the firm's file room to get copies."

She giggled again as she set her purse down on the table. She recalled the man's mannerisms quite clearly. All stammering and quiet, but she didn't really expect him to be that…careless. With Ian being his boss, he was quite out of place, despite his boss being the stuck-up jerk he was, he was still efficient and made sure the job would get done, he just didn't leave anything behind loose. Plus, he warranted no mistakes in his occupation as in their chosen field, a simple mistake would cost millions of dollars.

He pulled a seat out for Amy. She gladly took the seat and asked, "Why the sudden flu?"

"Uh, flu season?"

"It's offensive for a Kabra to not be able to construct a good lie."

He said nothing. He grabbed a foil package that contained a 5oz. steak.

"I know that this flu is nothing close to conventional," she turned towards him. He breathed a sigh but refused to answer.

He picked at his food, however expensive it was.

"Did you get a flask of flu virus from the hospital?"

A smirk formed at his mouth.

"Ian!"

"What? I didn't say anything."

A pillow crashed into his face. He received the full impact upon contact.

"Damn woman!" he exclaimed as he cut another slice of his steak. "How the hell did you move so fast?"

"I knew it! I knew it!" she yelled like a madman, a laugh came out of her lips.

It was the first time in a decade that Ian felt truly alive.

-x-

"I contacted him during midnight," he said after they had settled, "he arrived at my doorstep half an hour later with a flask of flu virus."

"Then you drank it?"

"No, of course not," he stood up, as if to emphasize his indignation. Amy couldn't help but roll her eyes, "I diluted it on a glass of scotch then drank it."

A pillow hit his spine.

"I should send you home with that pillow," he had said as he ran, "you seem to have a fondness for it."

"Believe you, my dearest," she said as she chased vigorously after him, "I haven't found out about this little fondness until this morning."

He let out a very loud guffaw.

"Well, I'll magic twenty stacks of those by four 'o clock tomorrow morning just for you."

"Such a tedious task for such—"

"Do not underestimate the power of Ian Kabra!"

"I'll have underestimated enough by tomorrow," she scoffed. They ceased their little 'sprint' when they had reached Ian's bedroom. By now, the pillows had been discarded somewhere else.

They sat themselves on the foot of Ian's king-size bed.

"Are you coming to the reunion?"

"I am," he felt the hairs on his back prickle, "I am."

Amy laughed.

"You sound so unsure."

"I do?"

She laughed again.

"You know sometimes, on better days," she started, "you're quite a good guy if you're not being a priss."

"Was that a compliment?" Ian asked.

"It is when you take it to be."

"Why did you choose Jake?" he asked out of a whim.

Her reaction greatly surprised him, instead of downright anger, she responded with a careful patience, "He was there when I needed someone."

"How about Evan?"

"Well, judging from the fact that I shot him," she shuddered at the memory, her first kill, albeit it was done out of her brother's protection, she still felt disgusted with herself when she spoke of it, "he was not an option anymore."

He understood. He stole a glance at the digital clock laid on his bedside table and decided that it was time for them to go to be there in time for the trial.

"I'll drive," Amy offered as she grabbed her bag.

"No Amy," he said, "I am feeling quite right now."

She smiled.

-x-

Penelope Covent strode confidently across the modernly-decorated lobby of the Cahill-owned law firm. A woman that worked in the reception desk raised her head up to address Penelope.

"I'm here for the interview with Blair Corsair," she said in a kind tone, "I have an appointment with her at exactly this time."

"Are you here for the secretary slot?"

"Yes," she mouthed.

"Sixth floor, room 602," the woman said as she pointed the way to the lifts.

"Thank you," she mumbled as she made her way over to them. On her way there, she saw a glimpse of Ian and Amy, laughing as they boarded one of the elevators. She was shell-shocked. She didn't expect to see Ian on a vacation week, much less, Jake's wife.

She recalled about how she and Jake was introduced to each other.

_The bar was alight with laughter and the smell of alcohol and cigarettes. She was dressed in a skimpy cocktail dress and she set herself on one of the stools in the bar. It was ill-lit and had a red glow that seemed to just settle on every surface of the bar. Men and women chatted and grinded with each other on different corners of the club, she chuckled as she saw a woman slap a man. The woman strode away indignantly as the man looked at her steps with a dejected look._

_Just then, she saw Ian and Jake enter as Bonnie Bailey's track played. Jake was dressed in a sharp black suit and settled three seats away from her._

_She met eyes with the handsome dark man sitting beside him and he mildly shook his head._

_Not yet then._

_On cue, the occupants of the chairs between them cleared out and she made a brief eye contact with Ian._

_This was it._

_She caught Jake's glance in a very swift manner and she smiled at him coyly. In return, he smiled back. She took a sip from her beer bottle and counted to three._

_Exactly as she finished her counting, she glanced at him and surely, he was glancing back. She smiled and he inched one seat closer. She looked at the man behind him and he prompted her to continue._

_It was obvious that from this point of view, he was obviously inebriated. She looked back down where he had sat down the bar and saw the number of shot glasses Ian had supposedly forced in on him from the moment they had sat down._

"_Hey cutie," he said in a slurred tone as he went on and scooched closer._

"_Hey," she said in a sultry manner. She went and pressed her thigh against his. "What are you here for?"_

"_You tell me," he flirted back._

_She threw her head back and laughed as he joined her. _

"_I think we two have something in common," she pressed her arm against his, "it's that we want to have fun."_

_She whispered the last sentence to his ear as if she was sharing with him a dirty little secret._

_Which, maybe, in another person's point of view, it is._

_His eyes flitted to her exposed cleavage and to her thighs. His inhibitions were lowered immensely at this point. She dragged him to one of the private rooms in the corner of the club, glancing at the guard they had paid to make sure that no one would enter the room._

-x-

The trial went over smoothly. By the end of it, they had Carmichael over on probation, not termination, as Ian had hoped. But they did what they had to do and that was just fine.

Meanwhile, Penelope sat waiting in the waiting area, waiting for her interviewer. A woman with copper locks and dull green eyes approached her a few minutes later. She was holding a clipboard and a pen.

"I surmise that you are Ms. Blair Corsair?"

"Yes," she said in a clipped tone.

"You must be Ms. Penelope Covent," the woman said. "Nice to meet you."

The older woman held out a hand and Penelope gradually took it. She tailed after the woman to her office. The room was painted and there was an oak desk in the room.

"So you studied corporate law at New York University and had graduated fifth in your class," said the interviewer as she assessed over her resume. "You do know that I'm just the go-to person for slots and I'm not really your employer."

"Actually, I just found out about now," she said politely.

The woman nodded.

"So, how did you come by that there was a slot here at this firm?"

"I was looking through the morning paper when I found that there was an available slot here."

The woman moved her head a bit in affirmation, "So where do you see yourself in ten to twenty years?"

"I see myself exploring options and fulfilling my dreams while helping this company," she said earnestly. She applauded herself for how convincing she had sounded.

The woman seemed happy with her answer because her voice had become a little bit chipper when she asked the next test question, "Do you have anything to say about this company?"

"Um, so far, no," she said, "it's a law firm and as far as I'm concerned, they handle cases and I have nothing against that."

The woman nodded at her.

"You will receive a call in two days if you're accepted."

She received a call in one.

Disclaimer: I don't own the 39 Clue or anything associated with it.


	9. Chapter 9

Monochrome

The Cahill family reunion was bustling with men and women of high and noble descent. Champagne glasses were in hand, albeit, the peaceful air the family projected, there was still animosity and suspicion in the environment.

Ian Kabra walked with unspoken dignity and an aura of exclusivity amongst the circles of family members. The other Lucians who recognized him cleared and made way as he walked towards his destination.

"Amy," he called out towards a white-clad woman holding a bottle of expensive-looking champagne. She was entertaining a few relatives of theirs about wines and other alcoholic beverages.

"Hey Ian," she said. "Your wife and son are waiting for you."

"Right, I was informed they were attending," he replied as he scanned the guests she was talking to.

"Oh, how rude of me," she chided in a polite manner as she looked back at the guests. She must've noticed his wandering eyes.

"This is Rodrigo," she gestured towards a redheaded man in a white tuxedo. "He's a Janus and he's based off Puerto Rico."

Then she gestured to a familiar blonde woman. The said female had a stern physique and a tall figure.

"And do you remember Madison Holt?" Amy asked, pointing to the woman he was currently surveying. The Holt sister was wearing a floral sundress coupled with a pair of peach-colored pumps.

The Holt sister just stared at him then promptly looked away.

"Jonah Wizard," she pointed to the man in a skinny tie and black suit.

"Yoh," he said then looked away, apparently not wanting to address his presence.

Then Amy looked like she had just recalled something of importance and smiled at him.

"I'm sorry guys," she said politely, sweetness thickened in her voice. "I've got some business to take care of."

Ian was dragged away from the posse and was escorted onto a table with only two occupants presiding on it. The woman occupant tasted the hors d'oeuvres provided in the party and the other was emailing someone important, possibly a client, through his PDA.

The woman occupant looked up, beautiful in a white sundress coupled with a white fedora while the male occupant of the table looked dashing in a pair of black designer eyeglasses and a sharp white suit.

"Hello dad," the male occupant said, spitting out the words as if he tasted vile poison.

"Ian," the woman said frankly while she sipped at her champagne.

"Ian, I hope you recall them," Amy started. The two occupants stood up and waited for him to take a seat on the table. He was way too dazed to even form coherent words.

"Daenaris, I didn't expect you here," he said calmly to his wife. The woman looked up and smiled sweetly at him.

"I'm considered a Cahill, aren't I?" she asked sarcastically. "As is your son."

Harley looked up at him, resembling his father's features and met his father with cold eyes. Ian Kabra had committed quite a few misdeeds during his time, committed enough for his son and wife to hold it against him that was. It wasn't that he didn't care for them; it was that he was just too much of a coward to handle a higher responsibility. Sure, he was almost killed a handful of times and could handle being a Branch Leader of the Lucians without even flinching but he knew, of all people, that his condition was just a serious case of commitment issues. But he's just too stubborn to get therapy for it. His sister was probably laughing down at him right now.

Well, speak of the devil.

His sister strutted towards their table in all the poise and grace she could muster. Her Louboutin heels clicked against the marble surface loudly, making her presence announced. He knew she was probably doing this on purpose. But he didn't really care at that time as he was still recovering from the shock of seeing his son and wife sitting at the same table.

Despite many warnings delivered to him that they would attend the reunion.

_Stupid!_

"Hello Ian," she greeted sweetly as she squeezed his shoulder, "how are you enjoying the party so far?"

He recovered from his daze and looked at her. He saw her smug face smiling down at him, her expression telling him something akin to 'I told you so'.

_Be thankful that I actually care about you or else I might've grabbed the nearest weapon I could find and kill you with it._

"Harley, Daenaris," she addressed smoothly.

"Natalie," they both uttered at the same time. Renee popped around, suddenly behind the seat of Harley.

"I certainly haven't seen you for a long time," she drawled smoothly, her floral skirt whipping around with the breeze that had whistled past them. Ian couldn't help but notice the way his son's eyes flicked to Renee's legs when the skirt rode a little too high up.

His eyes narrowed at his son.

Something fishy was going on. He could feel it.

Daenaris went around and sat beside her ex-husband. Surprisingly, she looked at him and smiled.

He coughed.

"How is your life?" he asked conversationally. Her lips twitched into a frown.

The drive from New York to Boston probably ratted out his brain a bit.

"It's quite good, actually," she replied casually. "I've been dating someone from my former high school."

He didn't really miss the flicker of Harley's eyes from his phone to his mother then back.

Was she trying to make him jealous?

"That's great," Ian said, feeling truly nonchalant. He didn't really care if she dated a hundred or so men already.

"His name is Darwin Brackel."

"Great," he said, taking a sip of his champagne, "it's quite good to catch up again, isn't it?"

"It is," she said dryly. He promptly stood up and left the table. He didn't really like the 'politics' that his ex-wife had established over there. The atmosphere just wasn't that comfortable.

But 'Cahill' and 'comfortable' never really went parallel since the 1500's.

-x-

"Oh hey Ian," Amy said, shocked. He stood before the round table in which his sister, Dan, and Amy were dining on. "Aren't you supposed to sit with them?"

"Them being my wife and son?" he asked sarcastically. "I don't know if they got worse since the last time I saw them or I got nicer."

"I am damned sure it wasn't you who got nicer," Dan murmured while taking a sip of his sparkling wine.

"Shut up," Ian said, irritated.

"That's enough," she snapped. She stood up and ushered Ian into a secluded corner of the party. "What the hell is going on? Why are you so upset?"

"Well, it wasn't me who put me in a table full of people from my past who hate me," he whispered furiously, "so…take a rough guess."

He saw Amy clench her jaw in an angry manner. She looked around and honed back at him.

"Listen, go back there," she commanded. "This may be your last chance to—"

"Fuck it!" he almost shouted. He had apparently succeeded in turning a couple of eyes toward them but nothing major. "Maybe I don't wanna' reconcile or anything like that, maybe I'm just fine with them hating me. Either way, it's none of your business."

She flinched at his harsh words. Ian really couldn't help it. He was just so angry.

"I was just trying to—"

"Help? Help?" he said dramatically. "Isn't that what you were going to say?"

"Yes," she replied, her voice surprisingly firm.

"Well, I see you've helped enough," he gestured towards the table where his wife and son were sitting.

She let out a huff of breath and looked at him.

"You didn't even try."

She then stormed away.

-x-

Ian Kabra decided to spend the remainder of the reunion talking to Hamilton Holt. He wasn't quite the stupid guy nowadays. He was a joy to chat to as much as he hated to admit it. Apparently, the guy had conversation skills.

And he couldn't help notice every time that his sister passed by their table, his sister would always smirk at him and bob her head up as if she just won a competition between them.

At around three 'o clock in the afternoon, Natalie found it in herself to approach his table and say 'hi' to them both. That successfully earned her a glare from Ian and a smile from Hamilton. She must admit the 'dolt' certainly looked dashing in his years, even going as far as garnering a few looks from quite a few of the female Cahills in the reunion.

"What do you want?" Ian snapped. Hamilton noticeably stood up and excused himself to go 'urinate'.

"I warned you that your wife would be here," she said tauntingly.

He loved his sister, loved her more than the world itself and he would do anything for her had she only asked but sometimes, she just pushed his buttons a little too far.

"And what'd you expect to do about it?" he snapped. Natalie smiled.

"You could've done better at hiding your feelings for that Cahill girl," she stated matter-of-factly, as if it was the most obvious thing in the whole world.

It was, in fact, the most obvious thing in the whole world.

He hated it when she was right.

"I was caught off guard," he defended.

"Lame excuse," she drawled. "What, let's say your company went bankrupt, what do you tell the board members of the said company if they ask you why you weren't able to remedy it when it wasn't that worse. You tell them you were caught off guard. That will both outrage and anger the board."

"Okay, okay, I get you damn point," he said, knowing that his sister was right. Again. "What the hell do you want me to do?"

He guzzled his champagne.

"Go back to Amy and apologize."

"She was the one—"

_She was trying to help._

"You have such a soft spot for her, don't you?" Natalie asked. "You do know she's married?"

_Of course I know._

"Mmm," she mumbled. "But have you contemplated the ramifications included?"

"Yes," he said, a hint of sadness laced within his tone.

"You can't have her."

-x-

Amy felt a light tap on her shoulder. She turned around and was greeted by none other than Ian himself. Jake was just off chatting with the other Cahills around while she took a rest.

"Hey Amy—"

"Look Ian, I shouldn't have—"

"Please, I didn't—"

They suddenly burst out laughing at the jumble of words they managed to get out.

"May I talk first?" Ian asked politely, trying to stifle a smile.

"Go ahead," she said, allowing herself a small chuckle.

"I knew you were just trying to help—"

He cut himself off abruptly, trying to muster the words.

"I'm sorry," he receded.

"I'm sorry too, I shouldn't have—"

He held a hand and signaled for her to stop.

"You know, please, don't, this is turning to a soap opera, much to my dislike."

Amy laughed and he laughed with her.

"Of course," she mused, "ever the practical one."

After a pause, she continued, "Don't you want to reconcile with your wife?"

He sighed.

"It isn't that, it's just that, I just don't like all the work I have to go through, especially…" he trailed off.

_Especially if I care for someone else._

"Especially if there's just too much history between us."

She chuckled in response.

"Tell me when you're finally ready."

_Never._

-x-

Jake Rosenbloom watched from a distance as his wife chatted with Ian Kabra. Unbeknownst to others, he felt an underlying sense of jealousy and guilt as he looked at her with him. It wasn't that he didn't like his wife talking to others; it was just that he was just a bit suspicious of Ian. After all, he might've been witness to the first of his indiscretions with Penelope Covent, if he was sober enough to witness any of it.

"Hey man," said Dan. "You look uneasy."

"Nothing, I just feel a little tipsy from all the champagne," he lied through his teeth.

Dan chuckled.

"I know right, I keep telling Amy to pick champagne that has less alcohol content in it but she just wouldn't listen," he said.

"Well, that's Amy, and these wines are what, imported directly from the provinces of Italy itself," Jake stated.

"Yeah well, she's always the one who picks up the tab on these expensive beverages so I prefer not to meddle," he said, "I just handle the food and the dishes to be served."

He smiled.

"At least you have a compromise."

"Yep, that's the better part of it, we never would argue with each other when it comes to arranging these parties."

He took a sip of the champagne.

"But you've got to hand it to her," her brother said. "She has excellent taste."

They both laughed.

"What's really bothering you, man?" Dan asked.

"Nothing, really."

"You sure?"

"Of course."

-x-

Several years ago…

_The conference was alight with people from the different hierarchies of the law firm._

_Ian Kabra sat himself on the farthest end of the table, not wanting to hear any more lectures. For one straight week, his life had been a parade of conferences and seminars. He wondered if this was just a sick prank or excuse._

_And he just went here because he was informed that almost all of the partners were attending. It turned out that Amy Cahill was the host of the conference._

_Of course everyone was attending._

_She entered a few moments later; the conference room was awash with men from different ranks of the firm. She had a cup of coffee in hand and was holding a pointer._

_She greeted them with a cordial 'good morning' and proceeded with the debriefing. He found out that they were summoned here for 'morality reinforcement'. _

_They had this every year. It was something that the higher-ups devised so the employees won't turn to other companies. The firm was afraid of losing irreplaceable talents to their competitors._

_Usually, every year, he would sit at the back and just ignore the speaker. He knew he wasn't really going anywhere but the firm. And sometimes, the speeches get redundant and he couldn't help but scream plagiarism in his head. But for some reason, he decided to give this particular conference a chance. After all, the speaker was capable and she probably had something important to say. He could always ignore the speaker if it was too uninteresting for his liking._

_And he listened, listened, and listened, enamored with the woman that was named Amy Cahill._

That was the day Ian Kabra truly fell in love with Amy Cahill.

Disclaimer: I don't own 39 Clues or anything associated with it.


	10. Chapter 10

Monochrome

Ian Kabra trudged out of the bed in his wrinkled Armani suit that he had worn during the reunion. He had an enormous headache, probably from all the Bourbon from the day before. _Hangover's a bitch, _he managed. That much was obvious. He then heard an abrupt knock at his door, the sound further magnifying the omnipresent headache he felt. The knocking continued, seemingly increasing in volume. He clamped his hands at either side of his head as he put one foot in front of the other. He turned the knob over and opened the oak-paneled door where a man in his twenties greeted him.

"Good morning Mr. Kabra," he said, "Ms. Cahill sent me here to pick up your belongings to take to the mansion."

"I'll be right back," he said in alarm and closed the door in front of the guy's face.

_Oh right._

-x-

_The Night Before…_

Amy Cahill stepped into the middle of the room and asked one of the sound operators she had hired to 'manage' the speakers and other sound-related instruments that she had rented or bought for the reunion to hook her up to the speakers.

"I have an announcement to make," she said with a smile. "I know this is 'very, very' impromptu and that I am quite apologetic that I only managed to make this announcement at this very second."

Ian turned around in his chair to face her. He absentmindedly shook his rock glass a bit, creating a miniature explosion within the amber liquid inside.

"In honor of the late Grace Cahill, I am to extend this reunion to over a few days time," she announced with a smile, "and that I am to invite you all to stay in this mansion over that period of time. There will be various activities over the duration of the reunion for us to get to know each other."

He took a sip of his drink.

"You can opt not to attend and I will gracefully understand," she continued. "After all, I didn't announce this prior."

Chatter sounded all around them as Amy made her next statement.

"Now, we are going to pass envelopes around, there are pieces of stationary inside it," she said as several men started handing envelopes over to the guests, "those envelopes are the exact number of the people here so one for each. Please kindly write your name and just state 'yes' if you are going to join us for the days-long reunion and 'no' if you're not going to. Be gracious and please pass the envelopes around."

The moment Ian got his envelope; he hurriedly opened the envelope and affirmed his attendance.

"We are to be sending chaperones to those who will attend tomorrow to pick up their luggage and take them here," she continued, "drop your envelopes here in this drop box—"

She gestured to the box beside her. It had a slit on top of it that can fit one envelope. It strongly resembled that of a ballot box that you see in school when you vote for a class president, save for the scrawled-up label in front of the box in marker ink that teachers usually put.

"—and please, fall in line," she drawled. "No pushing, no shoving, no kicking."

Some of the guests chuckled and some of them snorted.

Some of the people were piling in front of the box. He had waited after most of the guests had already dropped their envelopes before rising up to drop his. He didn't like lines, who did?

His sister smiled at him as he dropped his envelope.

-x-

Ian grabbed one of his suitcases stored in one of the lower shelves of his walk-in cabinets. He jammed everything he saw in there. Polo shirts, suits varying in different colors, ties of different patterns and designs, cashmere sweaters, jeans, socks, and spare boxers were all jammed into one Louis Vuitton suitcase. He then grabbed another one much similar to the previous suitcase and that's where he kept his toiletries and extra shoes.

He stood up and pulled the heavy suitcases from the floor and brought them to the living room and hurriedly brushed his teeth and changed into a new pair of clothes before grabbing the pair of suitcases and handing them to his chaperone.

The guy looked surprised by his sudden exit of the apartment.

"Let's go," Ian said in an irritated voice.

-x-

He scrolled through his messages, searching for something worthwhile. All he**'d** been getting nowadays were spam messages from his cellular network or pining, drunken messages from various ex-girlfriends. He should make a quaint reminder to block their numbers off his phone sometime.

Finally, when the virtual bar that slid over one from one of the officials from HR detailing that he's got a new secretary, he hurriedly read the message and his eyes almost popped when he saw the name of his secretary.

Penelope Covent.

_Shit._

"Ian," Amy walked towards the gate to welcome their guests' cars. Her hired porters bustled about to retrieve their luggage and escort them to the patio. "You're canceling?"

"Yeah Ames, sorry just last minute stuff," he said in a hurried manner as he strode through the law firm's lobby.

Damn, he would've given anything to not cancel on her. He cursed under his breath for his 'bad' luck.

"Last minute stuff?" she half-exclaimed in an almost begging manner, it sounded so much clingy inside her head but she wanted nothing but Ian being inside the manor right now. "Please Ian, you have to come."

"Sorry love," he smirked at the long-unused pet name. He heard her breath hitch momentarily from the other line, too minute to catch but it was enough for him. "Got some pending to do."

"Can't it wait?" she asked. "Anyways, your sister has been searching for you the moment she arrived."

"Well then tell her that I being her bro can wait," e pressed the up button on the elevator three times unconsciously in an irritated manner. He heard a feminine chuckle on the other line and he couldn't help but smile, amidst the trouble he had stuffed himself into.

"Okay, Ian, catch up if you can."

"Will do."

He ended the call, albeit a bit reluctantly and chose instead to focus on the pressing matter at hand.

_What is that damn bitch looking for, a scandal?_

The elevator pinged to signal its arrival. A flurry of lawyers exited, some Cahill, some not and he took their places along with a few others. The ride to his floor was mundane in all its familiarity during most days but today, it just seemed to prolong his agony.

Most of the other lawyers have exited by the time he got to the executive floor, most commonly known by the associates and other lower-level employees as that 'Club 31'. This was where most of the executives and top lawyers, him included, held office.

There weren't many Cahills in today.

_Probably all back in the mansion having the reunion._

He considered catching up after he got through with this. But of course, that would be damn near close to impossible right now because this matter might take a query of 'negotiating-with-his-new secretary-and-convincing-her-that-this-was-not-the-right-job-for-her.'

And that matter could probably take days, plus panning down the imminent rumors that would be floating around by the time she was out of the firm. If there was one thing about Ian Kabra, he liked to clean up his mess.

When he reached his office, the desk Roger Mullings occupied outside his office before he got fired was being occupied by a tall, statuesque woman that looked more like a model than a secretary.

"Hello Ian," she greeted sweetly.

"Why are you here?" he demanded.

"I applied for new job," she replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"And there are a hundred job ads in the newspaper, why here?"

"I just saw the firm in it and it piqued my interest."

He sighed. "I don't want you. Get out," he stated bluntly.

"I'll sue for wrongful termination, you bint," she stated sternly but sweetly. "And for a lawyer, I'll assume that you already know that I have the right to."

_Ass._

"Okay, how about this," he brought out his checkbook, he proposed with a businesslike tone, "how about I write you a check for a million bucks then you file your resignation and we never consort with each other in this firm ever again."

"Then maybe, I'll just settle for…let's see…" she made a gesture of being in deep thought momentarily before smiling and then she said."Wrongful termination."

He put his head in his hands. This wasn't getting him anywhere. "Fine," he groaned. "How do I get rid of you?"

"I'm utterly, thoroughly hurt by your spiky words-

He shot her a dirty look but she continued without fail, "I would just like to get a job here—

"Aren't supposed to be landing a job elsewhere?"

"Why, you too touchy-feely to have a woman like me as your secretary?"

At that moment, he wanted to bash her head into the wall and just watch her face bleed. But Cahill-wartime was over and it wasn't right.

He leaned a bit more to where she was sitting now, propping his hands up on her desk to support his leaning weight.

"No," he said sternly and his face was so damn near hers that he could almost taste her breath. "I want you out of my hair, aren't you supposed to be in Rosenbloom's anyway?"

She swallowed the lump on her throat and started with a slight rasp to her tone, "I have my dues."

"You mean Rosenbloom doesn't come to you anymore?" he retorted.

She let out a breath and glared at him.

"You still can't terminate me."

"Oh well, I'll just expose your affairs to Rosenbloom's wife," he stated merrily.

"And then what?" she bit back. "You expect that Amy woman to believe you? Face the truth, Ian, she'll think you're lying and Rosenbloom won't admit to Amy that he's been having an affair with another woman for quite some time now. He's been lying to her since the day we met, what makes you think he can't lie to her now. And of course—**"** Her eyes flicked to his in a menacing manner. "I see the way you look at her," she stated. "If you do that, it'll ruin your chances of stealing her away from that cheating bastard."

He stopped breathing for a moment, finally realizing the gravity of the situation.

_Damn this infernal woman._

-x-

Amy paced around her patio. She wasn't ready for entertaining guests right now. For some reason, with Ian rejecting his attendance, she felt a sense of discomfort. It didn't seem right. And she missed his presence like she never had before.

_What am I feeling? Must be my period._

She clenched her jaw and contemplated about her feelings for him. Recently, she had felt a sort of infatuation for him. She hadn't really dwelled on it much but now, she didn't even spare another thought for some other thing.

_I am starting to sound like a bubbly tween._ And she hated it.

Jake approached her casually and put a hand on her shoulder, his flawless hair glintingagainst the sunlight streaming to the patio. "Hey, chill," he remindedher.

"Yeah," she murmured absentmindedly.

He nodded numbly, his eyes wandering over the guests.

"Do you feel sick?"

She didn't miss the slight shift in his tone from his previous statement.

"No, not really," she shifted her weight from leg to leg, "just a bit uneasy."

"Right," he said then added with a hint of anger in his tone. "Are you missing him?"

"Are you missing him?" she didn't miss the hint of…something in his tone.

"Who?" she whirled around to face a barely-keeping-it-together Jake Rosenbloom, he had his arms crossed over his chest, a rare gesture coming from him. She couldn't believe that he was actually…saying this

"Ian Kabra, the Lucian; your crush when you were fourteen," he clarified with a hint of sarcasm in his tone.

"Are you _suggesting _what I think you are?" Amy walked towards a secluded part of the patio and sure enough, Jake followed. She knew this fight was going to get ugly.

"Are you sleeping with him?" he demanded.

"No!" she whispered in an outraged manner. She couldn't believe, him, of all people would propose such a farfetched thing. "Of course, I'm not!"

"You think I'm not blind, all those times that you spend with him, he's all you've ever been talking about these past few weeks!"

She clenched her fists at her side and tried to stop the obscenities at the tip of her tongue from jumping out. But Jake couldn't keep his testosterone under control just yet.

"If I didn't know better, I'd have divorced right here and then, you think I don't see it?" he seethed. "Those lunches you have with him, all those calls you have with him when we're having dinner, you really think I'm that foolish?"

She was really on the brink of tears now. "I'm not."

"You're not what?"

"I'm not having an affair with him," she choked out. She gasped for air. "What are you talking about?"

He recoiled as he realized the gravity accusations he had just made.

"I'm sorry…I…" Jake sputtered out. Too late, his wife already entered the mansion, probably to wind off.

"Amy!" he screamed out as he followed her through the winding hallways of her beloved grandmother's mansion. She was familiar with this place, he wasn't. After a while, she had already disappeared somewhere into the environment. He tried to call her but she didn't answer, probably rejecting his calls. He walked a few more steps and finally gave up trying to find her.

He leaned into the wallpaper-covered walls and put his head in his hands.

_Shit, what have I done?_

-x-

Amy strode the rows of shelves of books in the Grace's library. The smell of mildew always relaxed her and the soft glow of the lighting and the quietness always calmed her mind and made it easier to think of a solution to any problem.

She mulled over Jake's words, because she had a wrong in **t**here too. But she couldn't just terminate her friendship with Ian just because Jake said so. She wasn't a puppet for god sakes.

She sat over at her favorite couch and poured herself a glass of brandy, her favorite relief-drink that sat on the coffee table facing the couch.

Perhaps she and Jake just needed to talk it over. It seemed that he didn't quite understand the nature of her and Ian's relationship, that they were just friends.

_Are you kidding me?_

Just friends.

Just friends?

Oh god, she was in so much trouble. This pining for his presence, this missing him tirade, it might have been something else other than a 'strong friendship bond'. She didn't really know if she was infatuated with him. And anyway, for god sakes she was married! She couldn't just prance around kissing two guys, it wasn't right. She wasn't just some whore Jake picked up on the streets.

And besides, she wasn't around for most of the day. Jake was free to do whatever he wanted, perhaps she wasn't the only one…

And the distance that they both shared with each other…

No, she was just making excuses and that was it.

_What have I gotten myself into?_

-x-

Ian pounded his fists onto the table as he nursed his third glass of scotch. He made it a habit never to drink during the day but the moment he saw Penelope sitting at Mullings's desk, he had decided to break this rule for just one day.

The damn woman wouldn't take a deal. She really wanted to keep her job, quite adamant at it for a middle class-ish citizen of America who dropped out of college and ran away from home.

He shook his head and massaged his temples. If he didn't get rid of her soon, she'll just wreak havoc over his and Amy's shared 'relationship'. His efforts will be wasted just because…

_I need to get out of here._

He exited his office and padded towards the elevator, keen to catch up to Amy's reunion party. He ignored the woman behind him.

-x-

"Could you call me a cab?" Ian asked the receptionist downstairs. He didn't feel sober enough to hail a cab though he wasn't that drunk.

"Of course, Mr. Kabra," she said as she dialed the phone number of a cab company.

He went to sit at one of the leather seats provided by the company to waiting clients. Civilians couldn't just walk right up to the front desk and demand a meeting with a lawyer or an executive. The front desk attendant would buzz upstairs first and confirm the man or woman's identity before letting them go up to meet with their lawyers.

Except if you were a 'frequent-client' at the firm. If you were, they would give you a special I.D. that granted you the privilege of not having to wait at those seats.

"Mr. Kabra," the receptionist called out. "The taxi's here."

He mouthed a 'thank you' before exiting the law firm and taking the cab to the party.

Disclaimer: I don't own the 39 Clues or anything associated with it.


	11. Chapter 11

Monochrome

"Where's Amy?" Ian heaved his suitcase up the patio stairs. The main patio overlooked a good view of the wide lawn that the mansion sported. Ian remembered reunions gone past that were set on this particular lawn. Jake looked up from his champagne glass and adjusted his posture to stare right at him. He looked like he was expecting him to come as he had taken the seat nearest to the stairs.

"I guess she called you, didn't she?" Jake asked bitterly. His eyes screamed hatred at him.

"Called me—called me about what?" the dark-skinned man sputtered out bewildered.

"About our fight," the redhead said matter-of-factly. "Don't tell me you don't know."

"I—I don't know what you're talking about," he conjured up a confused smile.

The other man came up to him and held him by his collar. Several people turned to look at the almost-fight.

"You're here to steal my wife, aren't you, convince her to file a divorce just because she sees you as the ally now," he gritted. "Don't pretend that you don't know stuff."

"Listen peppermint," Ian drawled angrily, "I don't know a bloody thing about the fight you just had with your wife or what you think I'm doing to her and you don't have the goddamn right to just bloody accuse me of something you're not even sure I did. Now I ask this question again, a question that you've neglected to answer. Where is Amy?"

Jake roughly let go of his collar and stared him down. After a few beats of silence, he finally sat back down on his chair and resumed his previous position.

"Why should I tell you?"

"Because it's a perfectly innocent question."

Jake looked at him with suspicion.

"Disappeared along the hallways last time I saw her but Vegas's money is that she's in the library," he sipped the golden liquid from his glass.

"Why didn't you just come to her in the first place if that was where you think she is?"

Jake didn't answer that question.

-x-

Ian walked along the hallways until he reached the family library. He knew the hallways by heart as he had always explored them during every reunion. He couldn't help but admire the pair of polished oak doors that welcomed him to the library. He pushed on forward and inhaled the rich smell of musk and the worn leather of the oldest books stored. A figure moved in the distance and headed towards one of the shelves. He saw the figure head towards the Law and Philosophy section.

_Typical._

He followed the person behind the row of those shelves on that section.

"Ames!" he called out, unconsciously straightening out his tie. The form stiffened for a moment, trying to register first who owned the voice that called out for her.

"Ian?" she turned around to face him. She proceeded to wrap her arms around his shoulder. Ian stiffened at first, not used to being hugged then relaxed his body after a few beats.

"Hey there, hey there," he murmured into her hair. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, me and Jake," she hid her face from his eyes. The proximity of their bodies almost allowed their lips to touch. He tried his best not to go for it, knowing that it wasn't the right time…yet.

"You fought?"

"Yeah," she half-whispered, "it's like we never get along these days."

"Well, I'm not the best person to go for counseling but all I can say is, isn't that common in every marriage?" Ian was suppressing tremendous amounts of happiness right now. She and Jake just needed a little more push…

_No._

He turned his head away from Amy. He was feeling a bit remorseful for ever trying to destroy her marriage. After a few moments of contemplation, he turned his head back to her and brushed the thoughts away to the back of his mind.

Anyway, any damage that their marriage would've obtained would've consisted mostly of their choices. He just put the cogs in place.

"Well, yeah, considerably it is," she replied, pulling away from him. He let go of her reluctantly. "But isn't it usually the woman who complains to the man about him having another?"

_Touche._

He didn't answer to that. After a few beats of silence, he finally spoke. "Maybe he's just worried."

_Worried that I might steal you from him._

"Yeah well, he thinks we're having an affair," her voice dropped to the _affair_ part. It was quite apparent that she was unsure of what she was speaking out loud.

Did she really think they were having an affair?

By Ian's standards, this was still far from having an affair.

"Well then tell him that you're not and hope he believes you," he replied in a joking manner, seriously not wanting to think about helping her reconcile with her beloved Jake Rosenbloom.

He received a playful smack on the arm.

"Can your advices get any more unrealistic than that?" asked Amy while suppressing a smile.

"Look, I'm trying to help here," Ian defended. "I'm hardly the go-to person for resolving marriage problems."

"Of course you aren't."

-x-

Harley walked towards his mother, handing her a cocktail. They were admiring the well-manicured lawn of the Cahill estate. Daenaris had to hand it to the Cahill siblings to maintain it for this long.

"Ma, you 'kay?" he asked as he took a sip off the limey cocktail. He watched the greenish-blue liquid swirl around the glass as his mother answered his question.

"I'm quite fine Harley."

"You sure?" he asked while pulling a chair beside his mother. At that precise moment, Dan Cahill popped out of nowhere with several young people in tow behind him in red uniform.

"All right people," he called out, claiming everyone's attention. "These guys are gonna' escort you and your luggage to your designated rooms. Please everyone, line up in an orderly manner. And please, tell the porters if you have a child or a husband or a 'companion' with you that you want to share the room with."

The Cahills all started lining up, murmuring to each other about various things. The porters started ushering in Cahills while Dan coordinated the people.

Harley went to a different line while Daenaris went to another. And surprisingly enough, he went face-to-face with one Renee Cahill.

"Hello there," she said sweetly. He was about to turn around when he felt slim fingers grip the lapel of his suit. "Miss me?"

"Quite the contrary," he replied under his breath. He yanked the lapel out of her grip, about to find a new line when suddenly, he was pulled back.

"Aww, aren't you quite the gentleman?" she crooned. "What I don't understand though is why you keep avoiding me."

"Look, I don't want any trouble, okay?" he whispered furiously. "What happened when we were teenagers needn't to be tapped out. I don't want to relive it. And we've got a lot more on our plate right now."

"Like busting your dad for revenge for what she did to your mommy?" she rolled her eyes at his bewildered expression. "Don't pretend like it wasn't obvious."

"Is it wide open around the family?" he gestured around them.

"Not really."

"How'd you catch wind?"

"I have my sources." Harley turned away from her, not wanting any more of this conversation.

"I could help you bust him," she said. He turned back and Renee smiled. Her eyes gleamed with predatory intent. "I personally know that your father is about to ruin a marriage."

-x-

Ian poured Amy another glass of expensive Bourbon.

"So I was like, 'Oh my gosh Dan, you ruined my book', and he was like running away from me like I was some kind of giant monster about to eat him," she enacted the scene with her hands. Ian looked at her in fascination. She was truly beautiful. No wonder that undeserving Rosenbloom guy wanted to keep her so badly.

On cue, they both laughed in sync. It was fun just talking to her. Their smiles melted into profound expressions of gratitude after a few moments of silence.

"Thank you, Ian," she said. "For cheering me up."

"You're welcome," he sipped his Bourbon. "Come on, we should probably go."

They both stood up from where they were sitting side by side and headed outside. Jake was waiting for them the minute they stepped outside; apparently, three-fourths of the guests were already ushered in the mansion.

"You sick SOB," Jake murmured as he stood up, setting aside his Spritzer.

"Jake," Amy said sternly, putting a hand on his shoulder than linking her arm with him. "Don't start a scene. It's a Cahill gathering for god's sake. We'll be the talk of the town by the time the papers hit the porches tomorrow if you do what I think you wanna' do."

Ian watched the linked arms for a moment before turning his face back to her husband.

For a moment, before they strode into the mansion, he thought that he saw a flicker of triumph cross the elder Rosenbloom's features.

-x-

"People, people," Amy tried to direct the attention of her relatives to her. The guests had just settled in their rooms on the second and third floor of the mansion and were now about to have dinner on the multipurpose hall located in the farthest corner of the second-floor hallway. The lavishly-decorated room sported large bay windows overlooking the backyard of the estate. Chandeliers flickered overhead, giving the room a golden glow. "This day is the start of a four-day bonding session between us. This is a great opportunity for us to bond and realize the importance or the unimportance if that's how you want to see it, of each other's company."

Laughter resounded throughout the spacious chamber. Harley took note of Amy's charm. No wonder his dad was swooning all over her.

"Okay, how'd you know about these stuff?" he inquired at Renee.

She craned her neck to look her handsome cousin in the eye.

"Oh, if only you know about the things you hear coming out of my parents' mouth during their nightly pre-respite conversations."

"Well, that's nice to hear but why do you want to help me ruin my father so bad?" asked Harley. "It's not like you knew the man enough to even hate him."

"Would you believe it if I said that I wanted to do it out of goodwill?" she rebutted.

The man shook his head in muted disbelief and chose to not question her motives anymore. He needed the info and he'd very much grab anyone who might've had it.

"Okay then, this poses another obstacle. How do we prove it?"

-x-

"You were a shining star, love," Ian said as he abruptly joined her side the moment she stepped down from the podium.

"Thank you," she said in regard of his complement.

"Hey Ames," Jake popped out of nowhere, an overly cheery smile on his face. "Nice little speech out there. You got the crowd hooked."

"What is it with the two of you?" asked Amy in an amused tone. "Why all the complements, huh?"

"Would you rather if we didn't give you the praise you deserve?" her husband crooned.

The Brit smiled and said, "I think they're serving dinner, let us take a seat."

From afar, Daenaris watched with narrowed eyes.

"Oh look at how sweet they're dishing it," she murmured. "God knows how big of a bastard he is."

"Well, I'll second the motion," said her son. She looked at him with pure, heartfelt affection in her eyes. Even if the world turned on them, he would always by her side. Daenaris admired his loyalty to her. And his loyalty was about to be further proven with his next statement.

"I've uncovered something about him. We're sure it's true. We just need evidence," he stated with confidence emitting from his voice.

-x-

Jake couldn't sleep that night. He couldn't keep the doubt that kept bubbling from the pits of his stomach. He inhaled the pine-infused air that surrounded them. It always succeeded in calming him down. The room resembled a normal five-star hotel room with its cream-colored wallpapers and yellow-lighting. The bed was king-sized and on either side of it, were two oak-paneled nightstands with lamps on top of it. There was a LED TV mounted directly on the wall in front of them and a small closet in the miniscule hallway facing the bathroom when you enter the room.

But tonight was different.

He had an uncanny feeling that something big was going to explode in front of their faces.

And he betted the outcome wouldn't be savory.

He shook his head and buried his face in his pillow.

_Man, go to sleep._

Disclaimer: I don't own the 39 Clues or anything associated with it.


	12. Chapter 12

Monochrome

Harley woke up extra early the next day for his and Renee's 'secret' rendezvous at the Cahill playroom at the first floor of the mansion. The playroom didn't contain many toys now as no one used it anymore. Though it was well-maintained as the bright blue paint on the walls wasn't worn out yet and seemed as it was recently retouched with a new coat and the plywood floorboards seemed as it was just recently waxed, there were no toys there anymore. Only empty shelves where the stuffed toys presumably resided at one point in time and old drawing books at the far end of the room remained.

"Good morning, Harley," Renee greeted in a crisp tone the next day. She was dressed in an elegant white Chanel suit and pearls adorned as the lapels of the jacket as substitute for buttons. She was holding a small white calling card.

"Good morning Renee," Harley greeted in a nonchalant manner. "What have you got?"

"A calling card," she replied, twirling the card around her fingers, "from someone very important."

He released a snort and rolled his eyes. "Cut to the chase Renee."

"You sound like we don't know each other and are just acquaintances."

Ian Kabra's son shook his head and extended his arm for the calling card. Renee willfully handed it to him but tightened her grip when he was just about to retrieve it from her hand.

"I'll give you this. On one condition," the woman before him said casually. Harley raised a perfectly-shaped brow at her comment and gave her a wave that signaled her to go on.

"You will grant me whatever favor I ask of you in the future, any favor."

He smiled. "Depends on what the favor is honey."

Ian Kabra's son took a look at the calling card.

"The girl works for the same law firm as my father does?" he asked in astonishment.

"Why do you think it was so easy of me to get that calling card?" Renee said with a smug smile.

-x-

"Hello?" Penelope Covent answered her desk phone. She looked at her nails for the umpteenth time this morning. Her 'boss' didn't really leave anything for her to do because after all, he really didn't want her as his secretary. All he wanted to do right now was to get rid of her. She had been given the desk Ian's former secretary used to reside in. Apparently, the guy had a fondness for cotton buds because the drawers were full of it. Her predecessor most likely forgot to clear those out or decided to leave them there.

Well, she wasn't having any of it. She was going to make his life miserable as much as possible. And anyway, it wouldn't cost her as much as it would cost him. Plus, it was also a way of her getting back at one Jake Rosenbloom.

"This is Harley Kabra," the person on the line introduced himself.

_Another Kabra. This day just keeps getting better and better._

"And may I know what your—

"I am his son," the masculine voice on the other end sounded impatient. "But I'm not here to cause you any inconvenience. Quite the contrary actually."

"Pardon me, a woman by the name of Renee—

"Yes, of course, that's my cousin," the man replied. "And I am aware that she had told you that a person would come and talk to you?"

"Right, so you're that guy."

"Yep, I would like you to come to this specific address at this specific time and—

She smiled as the man continued on. She liked what Harley was getting to. When he had finished speaking, he asked, "Are you up for it? I was told that we had a common interest."

"Of course," she said with a wide smile.

-x-

"I didn't know you liked gardens," said Amy as she strode towards Ian in the Cahill mansion's perfectly manicured backyard. Tulips and roses grew all around the green, lush garden. The grass was still wet of the morning's dew and the sun wasn't so hot yet. Apple trees thrived in the southwest end of the garden and butterflies fluttered from plant to plant.

"Well, I don't like like them as some people do but you know, it's nice to enjoy them once in a while," he replied while he cut the leaves off some of the bushes to help them retain their shape. He couldn't really sleep and he had decided, after a few more hours of tossing and turning about, that he wouldn't get any sleep and voted upon himself that he find something productive to do.

Amy was still in her sleepwear when she appeared in the garden.

"Have you had breakfast yet?" she had asked with a smile.

"No, actually, not yet," he put down the gardening shears and subconsciously felt at his stomach. His Oxford pants were a bit stained from the soil.

"Well then, put down those shears and let the gardeners do their job," the woman before him said with a cheerful smile. She grabbed his hand, a move that she certainly wasn't expecting for her to strike, and dragged him towards the mansion.

"Wow, you're awfully chipper today," he commented on her mood. He didn't bother comment on her holding his hand though. He liked it and why ruin something you like, especially if you're not sure if you're going to experience it again.

They traversed through several hallways before reaching the room in which they'll be holding the breakfast buffet.

As they neared the doors, she had abruptly let go of his hand. It disappointed him but it was expected. She was still married to _him_ after all.

The room they were in was high-ceilinged and spacious. It looked like a dance studio that was converted into a dining hall. Several large bay windows in the room allowed large amounts of the morning light to filter in. Kitchen staff came and went, serving plates full of various delectable breakfast dishes and the Cahills' chatter bounced off the dome-like ceiling.

"Come on," Amy gestured for him to follow her to the buffet table. They each grabbed a plate and after fifteen minutes, their plate was already covered with pancakes, muffins, bagels, and bacon.

They had taken a seat next to Amy's husband, Jake, who looked like he also didn't get much sleep last night.

"Good morning," they greeted each other curtly. Jake's wife put a hand on his back and had asked him what was wrong but he waved her away with a practiced smile and assured her that nothing was.

-x-

"Harley," greeted Renee as she took a seat beside him in one of the secluded corners of the area.

"Renee," he greeted back, feeling peeved that his cousin had decided to sit with him.

"Did you call her?"

"Yes."

"Did she agree?"

"Yes."

She smiled as she took the first bite out of her pancake.

-x-

"Where's Renee?" asked Dan as he searched the room for his daughter.

"Oh, come on, Dan, it's not like she got lost or something," groaned Natalie matter-of-factly. "And besides, it's not uncommon that she decides to not sit with us. You know how she is."

"Sure, she could be mad at us all the time but this is getting to a point where I'm feeling offended," the former ninja-loving man gritted out.

"Honey, leave it as it is," whined his wife. "She'll get over it."

When they finally succeeded in pushing past several people, the couple saw their daughter sitting with the son of Ian Kabra.

"I can't believe she still has that infatuation over my brother's son," said Natalie in astonishment. "Aren't they cousins or something?"

"Yeah well, cutesy time is over." Dan strode over to where his daughter sat beside Harley.

"Good morning, Harley, were you and my daughter doing something important?" he asked in a paternal tone.

"Not really," said the younger man calmly as he sliced a piece of pancake.

"Okay then might I snatch her away?"

"As you wish."

His daughter looked at him in mild irritation.

"Dad, what are you doing?" his daughter half-screamed.

"You, I know you are going through a prolonged rebellious state but please, just please, sit with us during meals?" Dan nearly begged.

"Fine," his daughter harrumphed. She had more interesting matters at hand anyway. And this was a small price to pay.

-x-

Ian had immediately gone back to gardening right after he had finished his breakfast. He didn't like the uncomfortable air that had settled between the three of them when he had sat down on that table.

Unbeknownst to most people, he had always liked gardening. He recalled his mother catching him with a pair of shears one time when he still lived in the Kabra mansion. He cut leaves until he felt the sun turning orange and shining directly at his back. When the sun had set, he went inside the mansion and had returned the shears into the toolbox he had borrowed from the gardeners and promptly returned the box to them.

He then went to his room to get dressed for the dinner ball that was going to be held in the premises tonight. He had taken the liberty to have a light shower first so as to not smell like sweat when he gets there before getting in his white tuxedo.

He sprayed on a bit of cologne and slicked his hair back. He fully intended to have more than one dance with Amy tonight. And he won't go back to his quarters until she gave him his dance.

-x-

The ballroom was abuzz with Cahills in nice dresses and suits. Each of them had a champagne glass in hand. They were either laughing or discussing matters in a whisper. The ballroom itself, aside from its inhabitants, was also exquisitely decorated. Crystal chandeliers hung on the ceilings and waiters dressed in standard waiter uniform went around handing hors d'oeuvres and champagne. Moonlight filtered in from the large bay windows in the room.

The women all looked radiant and the men all looked dashing in their best. But there was one woman who stood out.

Dressed in a green single-strapped dress that reached down to her feet with pearls adorning the midsection, Amy Cahill smiled and waved at him to come closer.

"My, you look quite beautiful tonight," Ian Kabra said in a sultry tone.

"Oh please, stop being a charmer. All the world knows how many women you've hooked with that same line" the woman retorted.

The Brit put his hands up in mock capitulation.

They heard someone cough behind them and saw Jake Rosenbloom, dressed in a black tuxedo with his hair gelled up into a shark-like look. He looked sharp in his get-up and that irked Ian. That meant that he had a competitor for Amy's attention. Why didn't he expect that already? He always had to compete with her husband anyway.

He was busy taking a swig of his champagne when a tall woman who seemed like a non-Cahill tapped the microphone two times.

"Hey everyone, I know that most of you probably haven't seen me before," the woman started, drawing the room's entire attention to the podium where she was about to make a speech. Ian's and Jake's eyes widened simultaneously. There on the podium stood a tall woman with flowing black hair and piercing eyes.

Jake's throat suddenly felt dry.

Ian suppressed a surprised cough.

It was Penelope Covent.

Disclaimer: I don't own the 39 Clues or anything associated with it.


	13. Chapter 13

Monochrome

Amy tried to make sense of what was happening as she was walked towards the podium. She was entertaining some intense thoughts as she looked over the bewildered faces of the guests. Whispers from both men and women echoed throughout the room in a matter of seconds.

"But my name's Penelope Covent and I am a woman who has been a victim of great wrong," the beautiful mysterious woman standing on the podium continued, her voice resolute. She was wearing a plain black evening gown that highlighted her curvaceous figure. The dress ended just below her knees. It wasn't the most noticeable gown in a crowd but it made her fit in.

Amy frowned at a sudden suspicion that struck her mind. What if the woman was already there when the gala had started?

In that case, she would need to speak with the gatekeeper later on. Non-Cahills were not allowed inside Cahills-only balls. The woman on the podium paused after she had made herself comfortable on top of the podium. Every Cahill present was eerily silent and no one moved an inch from their positions. It was as if the Earth had stopped.

"I was sucked into a game of betrayal and there is no one to blame for it but one Ian Kabra," Penelope looked at the face of the man she mentioned. The whispers increased twentyfold. "He was the one who orchestrated the affair between me and Jake Rosenbloom."

The older of the two Cahills couldn't believe what she was hearing.

Amy saw Jake Rosenbloom rush onto the stage and pry the microphone off her hands. The woman named Penelope smiled deviously at him as a furious Jake grabbed hold of her arm and dragged her off the stage.

Amy's feet took off from the spot she was standing on and headed for the double-doors that served as both as an entrance and exit to the room. The guests made way for her, all of them staring at her in pity.

"Amy!" Ian called out. Her legs kept moving as her mind partially blocked all logical thoughts. All she wanted to do was get as far away as possible from that room. She ambled aimlessly through several corridors, trying to process the information that was just slapped at her face.

After what seemed like hours to Amy, she finally emerged on the Cahill garden. She lied down on the grass and closed her eyes, wanting to dismiss this all as one terrible, terrible dream.

When she opened her eyes, a pair of amber ones greeted her vision. She instinctively narrowed her eyes at him.

"All the things that woman had said, is it true?" she questioned, her voice barely containing the anger she felt.

Ian's instincts told him to lie. Hell, every fiber of his being told him to lie, to dismiss what she heard as an elaborate joke. He knew he could pull it off. There would be some brief doubt between the two of them but he could convince her.

But he didn't.

He needn't know why but he had this terrible, aching feeling in his gut whenever he thought about doing that to her.

If this was how love was like, then he could say that it was the cruelest thing God has ever created upon humankind.

"Yes, it's true."

A moment of silence followed thereafter.

"Do you hate me?" Ian asked in a low voice.

"Kabra, you of all people should know that that isn't the correct question to ask."

It's back to last names then.

"How?" her voice was stoic. It unnerved the Briton how cold it was.

"I took liking to you," he answered briefly. "Then I saw the woman and I had a plan."

"A plan to ruin my marriage?" the older Cahill sibling asked. Her jade orbs were aglow with unshed tears. "You gave him a mistress?"

Ian wanted to twist the truth, make it less harsh but he knew that that would've been selfish of him and it wasn't the right thing to do.

He loved Amy Cahill.

"Yes, we met at a bar and I introduced him to her. We were I mean he thought, we were friends. He said that you were too busy, that he felt neglected. To him, I was merely offering a solution and he didn't turn it down. One thing led to another."

She didn't want to believe this. She really didn't. But as it came out of his mouth blow-by-blow, it was hard not to.

"He said that when you found out that you were barren—

Ian trailed off as he heard the first of the sobs. He knew himself that he wanted to comfort her but the politician in him knew that that won't be a right choice to make.

"I'm sorry for ruining your marriage," he apologized instead.

"Well, that was your whole plan, wasn't it?" she piped back between tears. She wiped the trails of salt and liquid down her cheeks. "Congratulations Kabra, you succeeded."

With that, she left him alone in the garden.

-x-

"I want a divorce," said Amy as she zipped shut the last of her luggage.

When Jake came home the night before, she had been on the bed, still dressed in the gown she had worn to the gala. He knew that this was coming the moment he saw Penelope on the stage.

He had just woken up from his sleepless dream by the sound of zippers. Jake observed that his to-be ex-wife was already dressed in casual clothing.

"Amy, let me explain," he started, his voice still raspy from sleep.

"I've heard enough of explaining for one night. I'm sorry that I made you feel neglected but that was going too far. I never cheated on you, ever."

"Amy, I didn't mean to hurt you. Listen to me—

"No, I don't want to hear any more stories," she said in a stern voice. But then it cracked at her next statement. "Jake, our marriage is not working. It hasn't been for a long time. This is just a symptom you know."

"Did that Kabra bastard say that to you because I swear to God—

"No, Ian didn't say anything. This is a choice I'm going to make myself, Jake."

The woman stood to her full height and smiled morosely at him.

"Is this really what you want?" he asked, clinging to last hope of another chance. "We could still make it work, you know?"

"We have tried to make it work lots and lots of times now," replied Amy in a calm tone. "I guess this is the end Jake. I wish you good luck in your life."

They then heard a knock on their door. "Are you ready Ames?"

"One minute," she shouted back to the voice that belonged to her brother.

She turned back to Jake and leaned in and gave him a kiss on the cheek and ruffled his hair a bit.

"Ready, Dan," she shouted after a few minutes.

-x-

"What's your next plan?" her brother asked as they drove to his and his wife's, Natalie Kabra, house where Amy would be staying for an unaccounted period of time. The hum of the engine of the Camry prompted him to delve deeper into the situation.

"Find a house and quit my job," Amy answered her brother.

Dan understood perfectly why she would want to quit her job. It was obviously quite a big decision for her because he knew that his sister wouldn't give up that job for a silly whim.

Which led him to his next question, "Where do you plan to find a job?"

Amy smiled at her brother as she caressed the outline of the paper envelope inside the pocket of her jeans.

"Who said I planned to find a job?"

-x-

Ian downed his twelfth glass of whisky for this afternoon. He couldn't stop staring at the office across him, her office. The blinds of his office were drawn and important paperwork was strewn about on his oak table. But despite that, he hadn't had any work get done today. Actually, all he did just wait for her to magically appear in the office.

And fire Penelope Covent.

That was perhaps the summary of the things he had accomplished that day. He didn't care anymore if she sued him. In fact, he wouldn't care less if he burned down his apartment.

But what happened next shocked him.

An elderly janitor dressed in the standard blue uniform the firm gave their maintenance staff came and used a scalpel to scratch off her name on her office door.

The Brit slumped on his chair and buried his face in his hands. She either resigned or her office would be relocated, the former being the more plausible answer.

He poured himself another shot of whiskey. He knew that this was against company policy but none of the underlings would actually dare to tell on him. They were all too busy getting on his good side for that.

-x-

"You're going to travel for a year?" Natalie Kabra asked incredulously. They were sitting in a comfortable sofa, drinking tea in crystal teacups in the house's luxurious living room. Amy had already expected that this was going to be her reaction. It also seemed absurd to her at first when she thought about it the night before but as she mulled over the idea again and again, it began to sound less and less senseless.

"I am, I mean I haven't booked the flight yet but I will get to it, after the divorce is settled," she replied, her voice bouncing off the high walls of the place.

"Well, if that's really your choice," stated Dan, "say hi to Nellie for me."

"Will do," she smiled at her little brother, who always seemed happy at the most unlikely of times. Amy had already made the papers necessary for the divorce and sent it to her, offically, and her now ex-husband's house. So a few days were spent gardening, cooking, and reading at her brother's house.

"No Ian," declared Natalie as they sat in a posh, uptown cafe. "I won't permit you to see her."

But her brother was relentless as he scowled at Natalie across the table, who in turn, stared at him unfazed. "Please, if you just let me explain, maybe I can earn her forgiveness, that is all I ask."

"Ian, only time will convince her to forgive you but right now, she hates all of your guts," Natalie said as she sipped at her Earl Grey tea.

The male sibling then fell silent.

"I know this is hard for you but you brought this upon yourself," she said, "now it's time to pay your dues. This was bound to happen anyway."

A tall blonde woman with sea-blue eyes flashed a flirty smile at Ian but the Brit made no mind. He was facing a bigger situation right now.

"If there's nothing more," said the female Briton as she rose from her seat.

"Wait," stopped Ian as he retrieved a white envelope from the breast pocket of his suit jacket. "If you don't mind, please give that to her."

His sibling nodded and put the envelope inside her bag.

Jake Rosenbloom read the divorce petition for probably the tenth time that day. He knew this was coming sooner or later. His ex-wife penned the contract perfectly. She made it quite clear in the paper that she didn't want anything of him. All she wanted was a plain and simple separation. He couldn't stop tears from coming to the forefront of his eyes as his orbs scanned the document again and again.

After what seemed like years to him, he finally got himself to lift his hand up to sign the document.

There was no one to blame but him after all.

"Do you think Barbados is nice at this time of the year?" asked Amy as she looked at all the possible destinations she may set foot upon on her upcoming trip.

"Well, I hear the hottest dudes hang around the beach. And Bali is a country with a beach. It'd be logical if it's nice all year round," said Natalie, earning a playful slap on the shoulder from Dan.

"So one year, huh?" asked Dan, twirling a pen around his fingers. "Send us postcards."

"Of course," affirmed Amy as she booked herself a one-way ticket to Barbados. "You know, I think I need to throw my smartphone away before I embark on this journey."

Natalie giggled. "How can we contact you then?"

"Right, of course, I forgot about that."

"Update me where you are whenever," her brother uttered casually. "I'll help you pack tonight."

"Me too," her brother's wife piped in.

"Thanks guys," she smiled at her two companions. She was going to miss them.

Disclaimer: I don't own the 39 Clues or anything associated with it.


End file.
